Parents commit almost 4,000 “parenting mishaps” before their child moves out of the house, according to new research.
A survey of 2,000 parents over the age of 23 found the average mom and dad think they commit 221 little mistakes a year — adding up to 3,978 between their child’s birth and age 18.
Among the top parenting “faux pas” was accidentally teaching children swear words (42 percent) and letting children watch something that wasn’t age-appropriate (39 percent).
Conducted by OnePoll on behalf of Boudreaux’s Butt Paste, the survey uncovered the challenges that often come with modern parenting and found that when it comes to parenting, sometimes it’s about embracing the imperfections.
Results revealed that children are the most challenging to handle at age six, and parents should watch out for their youngest — they’re the most likely to cause trouble.
With all the trouble little ones can get into, sometimes parents need a break from the chaos. Parents who were surveyed were willing to give up quite a bit if it meant their child would perfectly behave. Three in 10 would give up social media, while others were willing to sacrifice wine (30 percent) or Netflix (26 percent).
When they need parenting advice, those surveyed turn first to their partner (42 percent), then to their mother (41 percent) or to other parents (31 percent).
Today’s modern parent also utilizes technology, with 17 percent of parents using the internet and almost 10 percent looking toward social media for parenting advice.
Overall, it’s about embracing, not judging, the community of parents around you. In fact, surveyed parents agreed that the trend they’d most like to see go away in 2020 is mom-shaming (64 percent).
But even with resources to turn to, just 12 percent of respondents felt “very prepared” when they first became a parent.
And when first becoming a parent, respondents were most surprised by the lack of sleep new parents get (50 percent) and how hard it can be to get a new baby to fall asleep (37 percent).
But even feeling unprepared – and having a handful of “mishaps” per week – 66 percent of parents said they excel in teaching their children to be kind and compassionate.
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