Modern British parents are the most lenient in history, new research has revealed.
The study, commissioned by name label manufacturer, My Nametags, asked UK parents to open up about how they raise their children.
The results showed modern parenting styles are more lenient than previous generations, with more than half (52 percent) agreeing they take a relaxed approach to raising their children, with very few or inconsistent rules.
This is a stark contrast to the previous generation, with two thirds (66 percent) of parents claiming that their own parents took a strict and clear approach to rules when they were growing up.
Modern parents want ‘quality time’ with children
In day-to-day life, more than half (53 percent) of modern parents are more relaxed about what their children eat and drink than their own parents were, whilst two in five (42 percent) don’t expect their children to help with household chores.
Instead, modern British parents are focussed on spending time with their children and supporting them emotionally.
In fact, more than two thirds of modern parents believe they make more effort to spend quality time with their children (70 percent) than their parents did with them.
Parents also feel as though they show more love and affection to their children (68 percent) and insist on more family activities than their own parents did (63 percent). As a result, over two thirds (68 percent) feel their children can be more open and honest with them than they could be with their own parents.
This is reflected in parents’ actions, with the research highlighting some stark differences between the generations.
Whilst previous generations were more likely to support their children practically, by teaching their children to ride a bike (54 percent), buying ingredients for home economics at school (46 percent), and mending damaged clothing (43 percent), modern parents are more likely to spend quality time with their children. For instance, they are twice as likely to do arts and crafts at home (61 percent) and play imaginative games (54 percent) with their children than their parents.
Modern parents ‘uncomfortable’ leaving children with grandparents
These significant differences between parenting styles are reflected in the fact that almost a third of modern parents (31 percent) feel uncomfortable with their own parents looking after their children.
Lars B Andersen, Managing Director at My Nametags, said: “At My Nametags we speak to parents and grandparents every day.
“We were interested to find out how parenting has changed throughout the generations because we know that life has changed so drastically in the last 30 years.
“Whilst there may be fewer rules in place, it doesn’t mean that modern parents are hands-off. Instead, families today prioritise spending quality time together and developing children’s soft skills.”
To find out more about the differences in parenting styles across the generations, visit the My Nametags website.
Why are you making commenting on The Herald only available to subscribers?
It should have been a safe space for informed debate, somewhere for readers to discuss issues around the biggest stories of the day, but all too often the below the line comments on most websites have become bogged down by off-topic discussions and abuse.
heraldscotland.com is tackling this problem by allowing only subscribers to comment.
We are doing this to improve the experience for our loyal readers and we believe it will reduce the ability of trolls and troublemakers, who occasionally find their way onto our site, to abuse our journalists and readers. We also hope it will help the comments section fulfil its promise as a part of Scotland's conversation with itself.
We are lucky at The Herald. We are read by an informed, educated readership who can add their knowledge and insights to our stories.
That is invaluable.
We are making the subscriber-only change to support our valued readers, who tell us they don't want the site cluttered up with irrelevant comments, untruths and abuse.
In the past, the journalist’s job was to collect and distribute information to the audience. Technology means that readers can shape a discussion. We look forward to hearing from you on heraldscotland.com
Comments & Moderation
Readers’ comments: You are personally liable for the content of any comments you upload to this website, so please act responsibly. We do not pre-moderate or monitor readers’ comments appearing on our websites, but we do post-moderate in response to complaints we receive or otherwise when a potential problem comes to our attention. You can make a complaint by using the ‘report this post’ link . We may then apply our discretion under the user terms to amend or delete comments.
Post moderation is undertaken full-time 9am-6pm on weekdays, and on a part-time basis outwith those hours.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel