Parenting can be tough, and none of us get it quite right. We’re too lax with screen time, we inadvertently teach swear words, and we even pick favorites (well, some of us, apparently … insert judgmental stare).
Who better to bring us that news than the folks at Boudreaux’s Butt Paste? After all, parents in the throes of the pre-potty-training stage know all too well how imperfect life with a baby or toddler can be (especially when that thick paste is “accidentally” squeezed into the carpet by said child). The diaper rash brand recently embarked on a survey of 2,000 American parents aged 23 and older and its results are worth noting.
“The beauty of modern parenting is that we can all connect on the fact that no one has it all together,” Jeanne Collins, vice president of marketing at Prestige Consumer Healthcare, says in a press release on the survey. “Not only is it about laughing through the little mishaps that happen along the way, but also finding solutions that uniquely work for you as a parent – that’s what the Boudreaux’s Butt Paste brand ethos is all about.”
So without further ado, here’s a brief glimpse of what modern parents had to say about today’s parenting trends, trials and tribulations.
1. Shame, shame, double-shame
About 64% of parents said mom-shaming and overscheduling kids were the trends they’d like to see gone this year. That sounds promising (unless the other 36% will be shaming us for under-scheduling).
2. Style of choice
It’s nice to hear that the majority of parents believe “authoritative” parenting is best – it basically means firm but responsive to your kids’ needs. On the other hand, 12% favored “authoritarian” parenting, described in this survey as “stern, demanding and aloof.”
3. Faux-pas files
No one’s perfect, but can you estimate how many parenting mistakes you’ve made so far? If you’re like the moms and dads who took this survey, you’d guestimate about 3,978 faux-pas (from teaching swear words by accident to allowing excessive screen time) before your child moves out of the house. Oof.
4. Playing favorites and most difficult age
About 50% of parents who admitted having a “favorite” child said it was their youngest, even though the youngest was also the trouble-maker. Plus, apparently those surveyed thought age 6 was the most difficult stage to handle (I mean, maybe their kids didn’t have colic?).
5. Bedtime fail
While only 12% of parents felt “very prepared” for becoming a mom or dad, 68% said they were excelling at teaching their kids kindness and compassion. Meanwhile, 42% felt they did a great job helping their kids learn to sleep through the night in their own bed (are those parents available for consult?).
