Modern mums can only bond properly with their children on family holidays, it has been revealed.
Parenting on Female First
The findings emerged in a study of 2,000 parents, and found that six in 10 mums only truly relax when they are away from home for a couple of weeks.
Indeed, 28 per cent of mothers think holidays are the only time when both parents are around to share the chores and childcare, while a third of working mums feel they can only switch off to concentrate on the kids completely when soaking up the sunshine.
It’s no surprise as 15 per cent of families literally don’t have any free time together aside from holidays and booked outings, and so relish every moment.
Claire Bentley, Managing Director of British Airways Holidays, which conducted the research, said: “What is clear from this survey is that while mums are completely dedicated to their families, day to day life is one big juggling act.
“Mums shouldn’t beat themselves up, as this is normal for households up and down the country - but it does show how important holidays are to take you away from the daily grind.”
The report found that while mums are dedicated to their offspring, they would get less than two hours of ‘quality time’ with them on the average day.
For working mums, two fifths remain in ‘work-mode’ long after they have left the office, finding it hard to shift their attention to the family, while a third can only truly escape and make the most of family time when they get out of the country altogether.
Understandable then, that a resounding 70 per cent of mums wish they had more opportunities to enjoy family holidays.
Nine out of 10 mothers absolutely cherish the time they spend with their loved ones when away, and two thirds usually feel closer to everyone when returning from a break.
Half of mums admit their children thrive on having their parent’s undivided attention, while 36 per cent admit they are much better behaved on vacation.
Furthermore, half of mums, also, even credit warmer climates with aiding bonding time - as everyone is happier and more relaxed when the sun is shining.
Claire added: “Not only do holidays allow families to enjoy more time bonding, the prospect of having a holiday to look forward to can give the whole family a boost especially in these dark winter months.
“The study does show that even on holiday, 56 per cent of mums will sometimes feel distracted from spending quality time with the children. Work emails, a demanding partner, calls from the office and browsing the internet are all common distractions for mums.
“With the full brunt of the winter weather hitting the country, we know how important it is to have some relaxing time in the sun to look forward to.”
For six in 10 mums, at the end of every holiday comes the promise of putting aside more quality time for the children - but 22 per cent always go on to get bogged down with work, school and domestic chores.