Parents spend an insane amount of their lives worrying about their kids
Do your little ones keep you up at night? Well, you’re not alone. Parents spend an incredible 37 hours a week worrying about their children, according to new research.
A study examining the extent to which parents worry about their children and the specific things driving concern found the average parent spends five hours and 18 minutes a day worrying about their kids.
With this type of worrying comes many a sleepless night and 59 percent of parents admit that sometimes the worry is so great it leads to a loss of sleep.
So what types of things are keeping parents up at night? Obviously, a child’s safety and happiness lead the way, while worrying over whether or not their children are getting bullied ranked in the top three.
The study looking into the parental worries of 2,000 parents conducted by OnePoll in conjunction with Lice Clinics of America uncovered the true amount of worry that comes with being a parent.
When parents send their kids off to school, they are concerned about how well their child will be able to fit in with others (number six), how easily they’ll be able to make friends (number nine) and whether or not they are getting good grades (number five).
While it’s not surprising that parents are most concerned about their child’s overall well-being, they are specifically concerned about their child’s physical health (95 percent).
And some ailments are more of a potential worry than others, for over a quarter of parents (27 percent), having their kids come home from school with lice was a top concern.
In fact, dealing with lice ranked as the number three most difficult thing for parents to manage when it comes to their children. Lice also ranked high on the list of hardest things for parents to deal with – just behind a broken or sprained limb and a broken heart.
Other challenges for parents to navigate included strep throat (number 6), an allergic reaction (number 7) and broken glasses (number 10).
Dr. Krista Lauer, medical director of Lice Clinics of America stated: “Parents are concerned about their kids coming home from school with a myriad of things and are looking for easy and convenient solutions to help them with some of the hardest to deal with issues — like lice.”
Back to school is a time when parental worry increases. In fact, 71 percent of parents admitted that their worrying intensifies when their child starts their first day of classes.
From getting bullied (47 percent) to doing poorly in school (33 percent), to coming home with lice (25 percent), parents are fearful of their child’s safety in a myriad of ways.
With all the stress, worry and fear associated with being a parent, 54 percent reveal that being a parent is harder than they thought it’d be.
In fact, nearly half (48 percent) have felt judged by other parents – with 52 percent of parents feeling judged by other moms and dads when their kid comes home with lice.
This parental judgment leaves three in 10 parents worried about what other parents think about their parenting style.
“We understand that there are so many concerns parents have when it comes to their kids. Dealing with head lice is scary and intimidating, but Lice Clinics of America is here to help. We want to separate the myths from the facts when it comes to contracting head lice. Almost all head lice infestations happen from direct head-to-head contact, which gives lice the opportunity to transfer from one head to another. Head lice cannot jump, swim or fly. Having head lice does not indicate poor hygiene, and it’s next to impossible to get head lice by sharing hats, which many parents believe. While prevention is key, if kids get head lice, Lice Clinics of America has options for treatment, all of which are pesticide and toxin free, safe and fast,” added Lauer.
Top 10 back to school parental worries
- That children are safe — 48 percent
- Whether children are happy — 44 percent
- Whether children will be bullied — 43 percent
- If children are keeping up in class — 41 percent
- Getting good grades — 39 percent
- How well children will fit in with others — 36 percent
- Whether children are eating okay — 30 percent
- That children are enjoying their childhood — 28 percent
- How easily children will be able to make friends — 27 percent
- Coming home with lice — 27 percent
Top 10 parenting nightmares
- Kid coming home with broken/sprained limb — 41 percent
- Kid coming home with a broken heart — 40 percent
- Kid coming home with lice — 36 percent
- Kid coming home with chicken pox — 33 percent
- Kid coming home with a broken/sprained finger — 31 percent
- Kid coming home with strep throat — 29 percent
- Kid coming home with an allergic reaction — 29 percent
- Kid coming home with the flu/cold — 27 percent
- Kid coming home with pink eye — 26 percent
- Kid coming home with broken glasses — 16 percent