Parents spend thousands on days out with kids

Working mums and dads spend thousands of pounds a year on days out, presents and treats according to latest research.

Researchers employed by Greens, the leading cake mix company, found that the average working parent spends two hours a day with their child or children. The same group spend an average of £1,278 a year on treats, gifts and fun days out to make up for the lack of quality time they spend with their offspring. Some spend up to £2,000 on the same items.

Worryingly, 38 per cent of working parents spend seven hours a week with their children, which is the equivalent of 15 days a year.

Of those polled, 50 per cent admitted to not spending enough quality time with their young ones, and 43 per cent said that the weekend was the only time they got to do so. While these figures may seem high, more than half of parents (55 per cent) believe that working fathers now spend much more time with their children than they would have 10 years ago.

Donna Dawson, a child psychologist, said: “Most parents today are under considerable pressure to balance their working lives against their parental responsibilities, and often the easiest thing for parents to forgo is "quality time" with their children.

“To make up for this, guilty parents will spend more money on their children to ensure that their children feel ‘loved’”, she added.