By Livy Beaner // SWNS
NEWS COPY W/ VIDEO + INFOGRAPHIC
Parents have a disagreement with their child every other day, according to new research.
A survey of 1,000 moms and 1,000 dads of kids ages 0-4 found that the average parent compromises with their child about four times per week.
Moms were more likely than dads to acquiesce to bedtime (59% vs 48%), but dads find themselves bargaining more over bathtime (37% vs 28%).
But when the battle rages on, parents are ready to step up to the plate: claiming to have mastered bath time (61%), bedtime routines (59%), morning routines (58%) and snuggling and bonding time (58%).
Conducted by OnePoll on behalf of Baby Magic, results also showed that dads have a slight edge over moms with tantrum control (45% vs 42%).
Two-thirds (74%) of respondents’ children have thrown a temper tantrum in the last month, with the average child throwing a little over four per week.
And what caused these tantrums? “Because he couldn't fit a toy in his toy car,” “his shirt wasn't pants” and “I wouldn’t let them play in the toilet.”
For others, it was “because the dirt on the floor was a monster,” “I gave her spaghetti and she doesn’t like the color red so she refused to eat it” and “he lost his pet worm.”
But the parenting doesn’t stop with cleaning up emotional mayhem, as the average parent cleans up at least one mess their child made per day.
Most commonly that mess consists of spilled food (72%), residue left from mealtime (70%) or dirt from playing outside (59%).
This may be why most parents would rate their home somewhere between five-second rule clean (29%) and well-lived in clean (19%).
While half of respondents believe their home is cleaner than other parents, another 50% agree that they are embarrassed by how messy it is.
"From toys scattered around the home to sticky hands after mealtime — there will always be some sort of mess to clean up when you're raising little ones," said Hazel Smith, Senior Marketing Manager at Baby Magic. But moms and dads agree, with the messy chaos of our lives it's the slower, present moments that create lifelong memories. We have been there for over 70 years as parents have evolved and created new routines. But one thing we know, bath time bonding will always be there to help end a long day or begin a beautiful morning."
Half of parents said they split parenting duties equally.
Parents divide and conquer to handle tasks like running errands with the kids (53%), reading to them (49%) and utilizing teachable moments (48%).
Even so, most are just soaking in every moment — so much so that if given the choice to handle mealtime, bedtime or bathtime with their child, most respondents (44%) wouldn’t be able to choose just one.
Seven in 10 moms (71%) said they handle bath time the majority of the time, compared to just 24% of dads.
But parents aren’t perfect; more than three-quarters (76%) admit they’ve made mistakes.
Moms are more likely to feel guilty than dads when they make a mistake (59% vs 44%), but more dads are stepping back and feeling refocused (30% vs 18%).
And when they need another voice of reason, parents are turning to their own parents (52%), friends who have kids (43%) and health care professionals (36%).
“Parenting is messy, but oftentimes the beauty is found in the imperfections, especially when you have a village to help,” said Smith. “We have played an integral part of that village, transcending through generations of trust with grandparents, parents and children to create those cherished, bonding moments.
Survey methodology:
This random double-opt-in survey of 1,000 moms and 1,000 dads of kids ages 0-4 was commissioned by Baby Magic between Feb. 24 and March 7, 2023. It was conducted by market research company OnePoll, whose team members are members of the Market Research Society and have corporate membership to the American Association for Public Opinion Research (AAPOR) and the European Society for Opinion and Marketing Research (ESOMAR).