Nation of big kids

Britain is a nation of ‘big kids’, it was revealed yesterday.

A new study shows 78 per cent of grown adults feel and behave years younger than they actually are.

Prancing around to pop music, eating alphabet spaghetti and drooling over young celebrities are just some of the ways adults keep their youth alive.

A third of adults admit they are far more immature than they should be, and 88 per cent are genuinely surprised at how old they are when they reach yet another birthday.

And as a result of this denial, Britain has become a nation of ‘Peter Pans’ – with 79 per cent refusing to take life too seriously.

A spokesperson for Barratt Sweets, which conducted the poll of 2,000 adults, said: “While the poll identifies some of the more amusing ways adults and parents like to keep young, it also brings to light the fact that adults hate to admit they are getting older, and prefer to act closer to their kids’ ages, rather than their own.

“As a result, the majority of respondents – eight in 10 – like the fact they behave like big kids on a daily basis.

“Given that life is often too short, there is no reason why people should try to grow up too fast.”

The poll shows that in a bid to stay young, 62 per cent of adults still frequently watch children’s television – and enjoy it.

A further two thirds admit to liking the same pop music which targets a teen audience, and 48 per cent still try to dress younger than their years.

More than half of those polled find themselves fancying celebrities which are much younger than them.

Skiving work, finding rude innuendos funny and living on a diet of fishfingers are other ways adults express their youth.

On a more serious note, 41 per cent of British adults refuse to get a will or pension for fear of feeling too old.

And 47 per cent say they feel too child-like to take responsibility for their own children.

More than a third of those questioned admitted they still ring their own parents for advice on basic household tasks such as cooking, the bills or fixing something.

Interestingly then, 56 per cent of people are often shocked at the person they see staring back at them in the mirror, while 64 per cent are always surprised at how they have aged when seeing photographs.

Judi James, celebrity behavioural expert, comments on the study findings: “Having a childlike sense of fun can make us more resilient to worry.

“When parents act like kids they create strong bonds of rapport with their children, closing the gap between the generations.

“Parents and kids are therefore far more likely to ‘get’ one another. Even the embarrassment a child or teenager might feel at seeing their parents dressing or even dancing like a kid can be useful in creating bonds.”

The research shows that while the majority of Brits feel like big kids, there are some turning points which make people realise they need to grow up.

Four in 10 adults admitted they were more likely to take life seriously after the birth of their first child, while 14 per cent felt more grown up after they bought their first house.

One in 10 people claim they were forced to stop acting like a big kid at a key milestone birthday, and nine per cent said it was when they stopped getting asked for ID.

Getting married, earning a promotion at work and realising most colleagues are younger were also turning points for many.

The Barratt Sweets spokesperson continues: “If acting younger than our years keeps life fun and exciting then who are we to argue?

“There’s a lot to be said for being in touch with your silly side so we should celebrate our youth and have no shame in revisiting it once in a while – it’s good for us and keeps the wrinkles away.

“As a result of the study we’ve produced a guide, written by kids, on how to be a fun and cool parent, with some warnings on what crosses over into embarrassing parent behaviour territory - visit www.facebook.com/barrattsweets to get some top tips..”

WHY ADULTS FEEL LIKE ‘BIG KIDS’