Parents struggling to put on a brave face to pass confidence onto kids
As the school year draws to a close, research shows that over a third of British parents feel that they have no confidence to pass on to their children (35%), potentially leading to a future generation of shy, insecure and introverted youngsters.
Britain’s least confident parents are in Cardiff, with a whopping 46% of mums and dads stating they have low confidence levels and worry about passing this on to their children. Following closely behind is Norwich, with 45% stating their insecurity, with anxious Plymouth parents (40%) in third place.
The survey, by Transform Cosmetic Surgery, found that the situation that terrifies parents the most is returning to work and going for job interviews (41%), followed by visits to the local swimming pool (30%), clothes shopping (23%) and even a simple task such as looking in the mirror in the morning (25%).
10% of parents cited being at the school gates as a situation they do not feel confident in as the rise of the ‘Mumzilla’ means parent peer pressure is rife in the playground.
Only 5.4% of parents stated that they always feel confident, revealing that British parents are suffering a serious confidence crisis.
The research was undertaken as part of Transform’s Feel Good Campaign – an initiative aiming to empower the nation and encourage Brits to feel good about themselves. Transform is encouraging people to become their own champions and to feel good in everyday life, whether it be trying out a new activity, feeling confident at the school gates, or just clapping themselves on the back for being fabulous.
Commenting on the findings and the Feel Good campaign, Steven Taylor, Marketing Director at Transform Cosmetic Surgery Group says: “The research has shed real light on how British parents are feeling in every day life and what affects our confidence on a daily basis. It’s shocking that so many parents feel that they have little confidence to pass on to their children and that so many situations put parents under pressure.
“Our whole campaign is centred around empowering the nation to feel good about themselves and celebrate their own achievements, however small. We want to highlight these findings to help parents feel confident in their own skin and not let the peer pressure from other parents take over their lives.
“The research is only the beginning of our Feel Good Campaign and there is more activity coming up over summer, so stay tuned for more Feel Good activities.”
Activities parents do not feel confident in:
Job interviews / return to work – 41.8%
At the swimming pool – 30.3%
Clothes shopping – 23.4%
Looking in the mirror – 23.3%
At the gym – 22.4%
Dealing with banks utility companies – 18.1%
ON the beach – 18%
At kids parties – 16.2%
At the pub – 15.3%
Being around younger people – 14.9%
On public transport – 13.5%
At family gatherings – 12.1%
School gates – 10.7%