Working parents feel guilty about the lack of time they spend with their children

Modern mums are struggling with guilt concerning the lack of time they have to dedicate to their children.

According to research carried out in 2009 by the TUC, the UK is one of the hardest working in Europe, with one in eight employees working more than 48 hours every week.

Parents are finding it increasingly difficult to switch off from work on arriving home in the evenings and the inevitable household chores are further eating into quality family time.

Research by popular children’s toy LEGO UK, found that as well as struggling to find the time, 26 per cent of parents also feel uncomfortable when it comes to role play with their kids.

Dads are doing better than expected with 46 per cent of them playing with their children on a regular basis compared to just 26 per cent of mums.

Despite our busyness, 26 per cent of us also feel that our child spends too much time watching TV or playing on computers.

Ending the attempt at being super parents and setting realistic expectations would help to stop time pressured parents feeling tired and free up child focused time, says parent coach, author and chief executive of The Parent Coach Academy, Lorraine Thomas.

She says: .  “For working parents, it is a real struggle to find quality time to play and have fun with your children.  There is always too much to do, not enough time to do it and definitely never enough Mum or Dad to go round.

“Connection is much more important than perfection.  Stop thinking of time as a burden and start recognizing just how precious it is.  Stop trying to pack as much as possible into every day.  The housework will always be there but your children won’t be small for long.  Focus on feeling good about the time you do spend with your children instead of feeling guilty about being away from them.  Finally remember, it’s better to spend 15 minutes of quality time having fun than an hour with them when your mind is on other things.”