NEWS COPY
British parents have less than half an hour a day of 'real' quality time with their children, according to a poll.
Researchers found fathers and their daughters get less face-to-face time together than any other parent-child combo.
And just half of dads of daughters reckon they get enough quality time with their girls, compared to 55 per cent of mums and their little ladies.
It also emerged parents of teenagers find it the hardest to connect, as just 13 per cent reckon 13 to 17 is the age to spend the best quality time together - compared to 43 per cent who think ages six to 12 are the most promising.
The study, commissioned by Panini Adrenalyn XL – the official trading card of the Premier League - also found a third will maximise their time together by encouraging little ones to do things they enjoyed as a child.
Hobbies such as cooking, ballet and collecting football trading cards are among the interests mums and dads are getting their youngsters into.
Chris Clover, head of marketing for Panini, said: “Being a parent can be stressful.
"Connecting with your child or children is difficult when we all lead such busy lives and more often than not, children just aren’t interested.
“Through our research we want to highlight that by taking time out to share common interests, parents and children can enjoy quality connections and share great moments together.”
It also emerged 37 per cent of parents find it difficult to get a conversation out of their child, and more than a third find their child prefers to spend time in their bedroom.
Of the 2,000 parents polled, 42 per cent said their youngster would rather watch TV over quality time with them, while 39 per cent claim their child would choose video games over time together.
Parents will have just shy of an hour of quality talking time every week – compared to the 75 minutes kids spend communicating with their friends via tech.
As such, two thirds want to limit their child’s screen time, and a fifth reckon they spend less time with their offspring than their parents spent with them.
Nearly four in 10 think their partner gets to spend more quality time with their kids than they do, because they have more free time, and more in common with their offspring.
And 86 per cent treasure every second spent with their little ones, according to the OnePoll research.
Four in 10 don’t get to spend as much time with their kids as they’d like because they work long hours, with a quarter saying their children keep busy with extra-curricular activities.
Forty per cent miss out on time with their little ones as hours are spent on screens.
And nearly a tenth 'don’t know how' to connect with their youngsters or don’t feel they have anything in common.
Chris Clover added: “Panini collections have always been about bringing families and friends together and we believe that our football stickers and trading cards can be the perfect introduction to the sport for any young fan.”
“Football isn’t just a game, it’s more important than that, and these aren’t just trading cards.
“It’s about connecting parents and kids, often reminding them of their own childhood, and giving children the chance to spend time swapping with their mates rather than only talking via tech.”
“Making these genuine connections isn’t just about checking things off the list, it’s about face-to-face interactions, about bringing communities together through the love of football, and creating memories that don’t have to involve a screen.”
Top 30 things parents do with their children:
2. Going to the cinema
3. Reading together
4. Playing in the garden
5. Going shopping/to the toy shop
6. Going food shopping together
7. Playing board games
8. Baking together
9. Cooking together
10. Going swimming
11. Listening to music together
12. Going outside with a ball and throwing it around
13. Doing puzzles
14. Going to the zoo/animal park
15. Riding bikes/scooters
16. Dancing to music for fun
17. Doing arts and crafts
18. Building with things like Lego
19. Playing football
20. Playing card games
21. Going for a dog walk
22. Going bowling
23. Watching sports
24. Gardening together
25. Spotting wildlife
26. Playing a made-up game
27. Collecting/playing with football stickers or trading cards
28. Going rock pooling
29. Playing cricket
30. Playing golf such as pitch and putt or going to the driving range
ENDS
