NEWS COPY
Constantly being in a rush, looking tired, and spending the entire time thinking about food and what to cook are the key signs of being a mum, it was revealed in a study.
Researchers polled 2,000 British mothers have collated a top 20 list of the recognisable clues that point to someone being ‘mum’.
Other common ‘traits’ include going out shopping for the day and only returning with stuff for the children, panicking about a late night and crying at everything to do with the kids.
Four in 10 mums fear the bags under their eyes are warnings to others of their ‘mum status’, while a third claim the fact they permanently look like they’ve been dragged through a hedge backwards is quite telling.
A fifth say their excitement at getting to conduct the weekly food shop is something which goes hand in hand with being a mum.
Rebecca Miah from Red Tractor Beef and Lamb said: “We conducted this light hearted research to show how special mums are, and to illustrate that all parents are in the same boat, a really busy one!
“We know this is because many British mothers juggle childcare with a job, house work and a multitude of other tasks. What is interesting is how often mums spend thinking about food, cooking, and shopping for groceries – it’s a huge part of the planning that goes into raising children.
“Many of the top 20 signs of being a mum focus on how rushed, tired, and fraught they are, and it’s no wonder, as mums have so much to do every day. But while the survey is conducted in jest, and is very tongue-in-cheek, it does also illustrate that mothers think their common ground is often that they’re tearing their hair out trying to cope!
“This is why we’ve introduced quick and easy ‘short cut’ mini roasts – small joints which can be popped in the oven, which means even if mums are feeling a bit bedraggled they can still serve up a nutritious filling meal, before taking themselves off to bed at 9pm!”
Other signs of being a mum to appear in the poll include starting to go to bed at 9pm every night, and no longer celebrating your own achievements on Facebook, only those of your child.
Finding bigger pants more comfortable, forgetting all about fashion, and feeling like all other work colleagues are younger than you also feature in the top 20 list.
A quarter of mums believe the fact they see a people carrier car as a good idea indicates they are quite clearly the parent of one or more children, while 17 per cent admit finding conversations about toilet habits hilarious could only be understood by other parents.
Relying on television programme such as This Morning or Loose Women for tips on motherhood bring one in 10 women together, while a fifth believe their ability to wake early with a hangover is a definite sign of being a mother.
The study also quizzed mums on their ability to cope with the endless chores they do on repeat, day after day.
It found the average mums completes up to 59 jobs every single day, including all the chores, cooking, getting the children ready for school and running the house.
Understandably, 27 per cent of mums therefore fear the question “what’s for dinner?” as on occasion, they just don’t know.
The poll found that while a fifth of mums enjoying planning the family meal times, a further four in 10 find it difficult to know what to cook and a fifth find it stressful deciding what to serve up when trying to juggle a multitude of other jobs.
As a consequence, seven in 10 stressed-out mums will regularly serve up ready meals to the family in a bid to get a hot dinner into them quickly.
TOP 20 ‘SIGNS OF BEING A MUM’
- You’re always in a rush – 53 per cent
- You constantly look tired – 52 per cent
- You spend your entire time thinking about food and what to cook – 44 per cent
- You go out shopping for the day and only return with stuff for the children – 43 per cent
- Always leaving the house with three bags instead of one – 38 per cent
- You have permanent bags under your eyes – 37 per cent
- You cry at everything related to children – 34 per cent
- Start going to bed at 9pm every night – 32 per cent
- You look like you’ve been dragged through a hedge backwards – 31 per cent
- You no longer celebrate your own achievements on Facebook, only those of your child – 30 per cent
- Finding bigger pants are more comfortable – 30 per cent
- You panic about a late night – 29 per cent
- Forgetting what is in fashion – 28 per cent
- Other work colleagues seem so young – 28 per cent
- Getting drunk on one glass of wine – 26 per cent
- Suddenly a people carrier seems like a good idea – 24 per cent
- You learn to get up early with a hangover – 22 per cent
- You get excited by the weekly food shop – 21 per cent
- Finding conversations about toilet habits hilarious – 17 per cent
- You rely on programmes such as This Morning and Loose Women for tips on motherhood – 9 per cent
ENDS
