How much time do you have with your kids?

Monday, 15 August 2011 As parenting guidelines released last week advised parents of a “five-a-day” approach to bringing up their children, research from Bosch Power Tools shows that 45% of parents in fact have under five hours to play and bond with their children per week.

The research also highlighted that only 31% of UK parents take part in educational play and life-skill development such as cooking, sewing or DIY. This is despite 93% of parents deeming it important to pass life skills down to the next generation and 90% admitting it could cause problems later on in their child’s adult life.

Children are also concerned with 50% of kids aged between seven and sixteen stating they would relish more time with their parents to help them learn new things.

63% were eager to develop prowess in the kitchen and 52% also wanted to learn more about DIY and how to fix things in the home without calling for a builder.

In light of this, Bosch Power Tools is launching a campaign to encourage families to “build and bond” by building a tree house together in the back garden this summer.

Sue Palmer, specialist in child development and author of Toxic Childhood, comments “When parents take the time to involve their children in 'everyday' activities like cooking, DIY and mending clothes, they’re not just handing on important lifeskills that will stand the kids in good stead in the future, they’re also showing them value and love. This sort of ‘family time’ is vital to a child’s feelings of self-worth. It used to happen naturally in most families, but modern lifestyles make it more difficult.”

Bosch Power Tools DIY Expert Chris Tidy comments, "It's really important for parents to take the time to teach kids these practical skills because otherwise, it's really going to cost them in the future. Once they leave home they could incur huge expenses when they are unable to rely on their parents. These skills will prove extremely cost effective as young adults in various elements of their life, such as simple DIY tasks, cooking for themselves, decorating their house and customising their clothes."

Of the tiny but questionable 7% of UK parents who didn’t want to pass on skills, 64%, stated they didn’t have time and worryingly, 33% claimed they didn’t have any.

For more information about Bosch Power Tools “Build and Bond” campaign, visit www.bosch-do-it.co.uk