Parents admit buying children ‘guilt gifts’ during the holidays

Four in five pressured parents plan to fork out extra money on their children over the summer holidays to compensate for the lack of time they are able to spend with them, a survey has found.

Around 82% of parents expect to lavish their children with “guilt gifts” of treats and activities to make up for a shortage of family time, online marketplace Groupon found.

On average, they expect to spend £187.40 more a week per child than they normally would, the survey of parents with children aged five to 16 found.

This could add up to an additional £1,124 over a six-week period.

Sweet treats, dining out on burgers and pizzas and trips to the cinema are among the most popular expenses, the research found, with some parents also buying their children gadgets and video games.

Dads are more likely than mums to splash the cash to assuage feelings of guilt, the research suggests, with 86% of fathers forking out for presents compared to 78% of mothers.

And in an effort to spend more time with the family, nearly twofifths (38%) of parents surveyed admitted to having pulled a sickie over the summer holidays so they could spend the day with the kids instead.

Two-fifths (42%) of parents say what they see on other parents’ social media feeds makes them feel pressured to deliver a perfect summer holiday for their own family.

More than a third (35%) of parents worry about the length of time their children spend indoors while 32% fret about not being able to afford days out.

Nearly three quarters (73%) of parents worry that their children’s summer break will not live up to their expectations, and more than a quarter (26%) start to worry more than three months before the summer holidays have even begun.

Jon Wilson,of Groupon, said: “There is an immense amount of pressure for parents to keep their kids entertained during the summer and time is precious, so they have to make the most of the days they have with their children.”