Fighting, screaming kids and near miss incidents, with the new school year now well and truly underway, it’s little wonder that seven out of ten mums claim to find the school run stressful. Given that 42 per cent spend upwards of 11 minutes driving to school each morning – equivalent to over 35 hours across an entire school year – that’s a lot of time spent in the car with kids who play up.
Parenting on Female First
New research by Kia highlights the hazards parents’ face every day on the school run, with nearly two thirds of mums finding that their children drive them to distraction. Half of children being driven to school fight with their siblings whilst four in ten children will give their parents an ear battering by screaming during the course of the journey. Furthermore, 42 per cent of mums have also had a near miss or accident because they were side-tracked by their children on the way to school.
The hassle starts long before arriving at school though, with children doing everything they can to delay the journey. One in five mums nearly always have to go back home because their kids have forgotten something. The pressure increases for two thirds of mums on the school run who fear the journey is going to make them late for work. And for nearly one in every six that’s a reality at least once a week.
There is a flipside to the school run though. Mums say they can enjoy a bit of time for themselves as 48 per cent listen to music on their way home, and one in three say they just want some blissful silence. For half of those questioned, the best thing about the school run is when they collect their kids in the afternoon and get to hear about their day. Sitting in the back seat of the car, one third of mums think their kids sometimes forget they’re there, so it’s a great opportunity for a bit of eavesdropping too.
A massive three quarters of those questioned said they would prefer their children to walk to school if they could. And with the start of Walk to School Month this October, there’s never been a better time to think about going on foot.