School’s out. And the kids are in, with no homework and tons of free time. So, what’s the best thing for them to do during the holidays? For one mum and her energetic twins the solution was simple: Heelys race! And this was followed by another two thrilling challenges. To find out how it went, watch the video below:
A Closer Look at Quality Time
The unfortunate truth is that not every parent is able to spend as much time as they would like to with their kids. This is the reason that when Jen (the mum in the video) has time away from work, she does her best to make it count.
But what about the rest of us? Because keeping up with the kids is such an important thing to do, at SkateHut we thought we’d look deeper into the subject. And with that in mind, we conducted a survey into just how parents felt.
Making Time for Our Kids
We discovered that 72% of parents actually see going to work as a ‘break’ from their kids. This might make the majority of parents seem heartless, but this is no doubt because when we are able to be with our children we give 100%.
In fact, 68% of parents have considered shortening their working hours to spend more time with their children. 42% of parents have considered working from home to do the same. And 27% of parents have even considered quitting their jobs to be there for their kids.
A reason that we want to spend more time with our children is that we fear we’re losing touch with them. One of the ways that this is happening is through language, which is getting harder and harder to keep up with.
Keeping Up with the Lingo
In our study we discovered that 86% of adults admitted they get confused by their kids’ lingo. The most confusing terms included ‘lit’, ‘woke’ and ‘GOAT’. Here’s the breakdown of the most often misunderstood words, along with the percentage of adults who don’t know them:
- Woke – 83%
- Lit – 75%
- GOAT – 68%
- Flossing – 59%
- Squad goals – 56%
But all is not lost for the older generation, because a respectable 76% of adults know the meaning of ‘YOLO’ (for the other 24% of you, that’s ‘You Only Live Once’).
Age Doesn’t Always Bring Wisdom
Some parents like to believe that they know what new terms mean, but in our survey we discovered that these poor folk are definitely not woke (meaning ‘switched on’). When we asked for definitions, these were some of the answers:
Lit
Right: ‘Cool or fun’
Wrong: ‘The fire is ready’
YOLO
Right: ‘You Only Live Once’
Wrong: ‘A type of yo-yo’
On Fleek
Right: ‘Perfection’
Wrong: ‘A spelling mistake’
Squad Goals
Right: ‘Inspiration for your friends’
Wrong: ‘Goals your football team scored’
GOAT
Right: ‘Greatest of All Time’
Wrong: ‘Get on a Turtle’
Salty
Right: ‘Angry or upset’
Wrong: ‘Tasty’
Cray
Right: ‘Crazy’
Wrong: ‘Crayfish or lobster’
Savage
Right: ‘Harsh’
Wrong: ‘Bad table manners’
Summer Stress
This disconnect from our kids can put pressure on us – especially during school breaks. A recent study even found that as many as one in five parents experienced significantly higher stress levels during school holidays.
This isn’t helped by the fact that most parents only get time off in two-week stretches, while children generally get a lengthy six weeks away from school.
There is also the affordability factor to consider, as the average cost of keeping kids occupied during the summer hols is estimated to be around £594 . All those cinema trips, sports team memberships and extra classes can really add up.
Summer Solutions
One way to connect with your kids without breaking the bank is to get them involved with action sports. They don’t need to be part of a team to ride a skateboard or scooter. And there are no rules when it comes to racing along on a pair of Heelys . Sure, you have to buy the equipment to begin with, but once you have that, your kids are free to do what they want.
We may not always have as much time as we would like to spend with our kids. We may not even understand their lingo. But we can always get close to them through fun activities. And these don’t even have to be action sports. The most important thing for most parents is just to be there – and to be part of the fun.