A fifth of Scottish parents have been reduced to tears by the school morning routine

• Nearly a fifth of parents in Scotland have been reduced to tears whilst getting their children ready for school
• Almost half don’t feel like good parents during the morning routine
• Over a third of parents feel anxious about the morning routine
• 42% regularly argue with their child when getting ready for school

New research reveals the strain the morning routine and school run are having on families in Scotland.

The study found that, on average, parents feel stressed at least two mornings a week, whilst 10% report feeling this way every day. 38% report that their children also get stressed during the morning routine.

Running late, getting children out of bed, and children being slow at getting ready are the three biggest contributors to stress, according to Scottish parents.

The research, which was carried out amongst UK parents by leading name label manufacturer, MyNametags.com, found that mothers in Scotland are more likely to be negatively impacted than fathers.

This could be because mums take responsibility for the majority of the morning tasks, according to the results of the survey. Mothers were responsible for making breakfast in 86% of the families researched, alongside packing their child’s lunch box (93%) and school bag (88%), ensuring they are in the correct school uniform (89%), and taking their child to school (68%).

As a result of the stress of the morning routine, nearly a fifth (19%) of parents in Scotland say they have been reduced to tears, nearly half often don’t feel like good parents, and more than a third (36%) feel anxious about it.

This is impacting the whole family, with 42% admitting they argue with their child during the morning routine and 34% saying their child has gone to school upset. This is causing nearly a third of parents (30%) to worry that the morning routine is damaging their relationship with their child.

Some Scottish parents are even considering taking extreme action to minimise the strain of the morning routine, with 19% admitting to being tempted to homeschool their child permanently to avoid it altogether.

Despite the pressure of getting children ready to leave the house in the morning, the research found that the journey itself is more positive. The majority (69%) of parents agree that the journey to school is an opportunity to spend quality time with their child and three quarters (76%) say their child enjoys the journey to school.

The results also suggest that the way families spend their morning has an impact on their experiences. Families who walk to school together are most likely to enjoy the journey, whilst those who eat breakfast together are 39% more likely to have a positive morning.

Lars B Andersen, Managing Director of MyNametags.com, comments: “At My Nametags, our work is centred around making parents’ lives easier, so we’re always interested to explore the pressures facing modern families. As a parent myself, I know first-hand how the school run can impact family dynamics, both positively and negatively.

“It’s saddening to see that so many families struggle with the pressure of the morning routine. However, our research shows that parents are not alone in feeling stressed or overwhelmed – I can definitely relate to that and so can many other parents across the country.

“It’s also heartening to see that the precious time parents get to spend with their children during the journey to school is generally a positive experience, offering an opportunity for families to reconnect after a hectic start to the day.

“I hope the research brings comfort to parents across the UK and reminds them that, whatever their morning routine, we’re all in it together.”

Find out more about the impact of the morning routine on family dynamics.