Children wish their parents had more adventurous jobs

With many Britons resolving to improve their career this year, children are urging parents to think twice about traditional roles in preference of more exciting day jobs. According to research from global toy giant Playmobil, children would rather their parents were detectives like Sherlock Holmes and athletes like our Olympic hopefuls, than more conventional roles such as bankers or lawyers.

The survey results - announced at Toy Fair, the biggest UK toy event of the year – reveal the top five jobs children wish their parents had are detective, popstar, Olympic athlete, Prime Minister, and footballer. Opting for professions that capture the imagination as opposed to the sensible choice, other dream jobs for parents include animal breeder, train driver, sweet shop owner and scientist.

The research of over 600 children aged 5-11, also investigated which professions parents hope their children will go into when they grow up. The resounding response from children is that their parents want them to be happy or whatever they want to be; demonstrating how supportive and nurturing parents are of their children’s ambitions.

“The results of this research demonstrates the significant role creativity and imagination plays in young children,” said Jamie Dickinson, Marketing Manager for Playmobil. “They are being inspired by everything from their favourite TV programme, the goings-on at Downing Street, and even the toys they play with. Children love learning and discovering new things and there’s no better way to captivate them than during playtime. In many senses, it’s a great achievement of imagination triumphing over logic and convention. The sky’s the limit in their eyes – we as adults could benefit from taking a leaf out of their books.”