When you wake up in the morning, what’s the first thing you think about? According to new research, for a third of parents it’s “I have so much to do today!” A survey of 15-hundred parents and 500 teachers - 97% of whom have school-aged kids themselves - finds that during back-to-school season, the emotion they all feel more than any other is overwhelmed.
Parents admit that feeling so overwhelmed has led them to make these mistakes when getting their kids ready for school:
- Forgetting to pack a lunch - 51%
- Oversleeping - 50%
- Forgetting to eat breakfast - 49%
- Dressing them in mismatched outfits - 39%
- Packing the wrong meal - 36%
- Giving them the wrong backpack - 32%
- Forgetting to pack specific school materials for the day - 23%
- Forgetting to pack extracurricular equipment/supplies for the day - 14%
Once they’re home from work in the evening:
- Parents’ top evening chore is tidying up around the house (55%), then spending time with family (52%), eating dinner (51%) and finishing up work they didn’t get to (49%).
- Teachers tend to make spending time with family a priority (61%), followed by tidying up (55%) and eating dinner (54%).
- At the end of the day, parents end up with an average of one hour and 16 minutes to themselves.
- And teachers typically get an average of one hour and 12 minutes of “me time” every day.
Source: SWNS Digital
Scott's Thoughts:
- Don't kick yourself if some of this sounds like you. It happens to all of us.
- It was especially hard in my house. When my kids were very little, I left for work at 5am to do a morning radio show and their mom had to get them ready for preschool and school alone before going to work.
- I think it is ok to not have "me time" for a few years when raising kids. Just listen to the song "You're gonna miss this" by Trace Adkins. So true. You wouldn't believe the things I miss.