UK parents not confident with their skills

The bad British parents message is being forced home, with 53 per cent of mothers and fathers lacking confidence in their skills and believing they are not good parents.

In a nationwide poll of 2,000 parents, only 19 per cent said they had complete confidence in they way they were raising their children.

When it comes to getting help and advice with parenting skills, dads turned to their mother for support first, then their best friends and finally, 29 per cent read parenting magazines.

Women were found to turn to their friends as a source of help first, then their mother and finally to parenting websites.

Just 23 per cent of women admitted to reading parenting magazines.

The poll, commissioned by Ross Burgers, found the internet to be the first port of call when a child was ill rather than the GP.

Spokesperson for Ross Burgers, Anne Claypole said: “Being a parent is the hardest job in the world and it can sometimes be overwhelming but it is also the most rewarding.

“We were surprised to discover that over half of parents felt they were not doing a good job. This probably stems from the fact that parents are often their own harshest critics, combined with the fact that they are inundated with messages of how to be the perfect parent. The reality is that the perfect parent simply doesn’t exist.”