Three-quarters of parents have developed closer bond with their children due to lockdown, poll claims

Many experienced milestones they otherwise would have missed, survey suggests

When social distancing happened, then lockdown, I was overwhelmed with the pressure of keeping my children’s lives fun

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Three-quarters of parents say they have developed a closer bond with their children because of lockdown.

The past three months have seen parents taking on a multitude of additional roles, with many having to carry on doing their job while also having to become an amateur teacher.

As a result, 67 per cent of parents admitted lockdown and their related experience had left them feeling more pressure as a parent.

But while there have been issues, the increase in time spent together at home has also given families time to bond.

This has led to 74 per cent feeling they had a stronger relationship with their children than they did before.

Two-thirds of parents had experienced at least one of their child’s milestone moments that they would have otherwise missed, including first words, smiles, crawls, laughs, meals and bike rides.

The research was commissioned by Johnson's Baby to look at the positive impact that the past few months have had on parenting and the key learnings that parents will be taking back into the world with them.

Due to spending more time with their offspring during lockdown, the top three traits parents had learned were to be more patient, more kind and more gentle.

It also emerged 43 per cent felt more confident in the role of teacher since lockdown began.

Lauren Capron, from Johnson's Baby said: “This research definitely illustrates some of the positives which have come out of being in lockdown.

“Whatever the age of the child, these results will be relatable for all parents.

“Whether you have a baby or toddler and have been lucky enough to be there when they’ve made a development such as rolling over or saying a first word.

“Or whether you’re the parent of a teen who would usually be out and about with mates, rather than sitting down to dinner with you.

“If there is one thing we can take away from this forced time at home, it’s the importance of quality time together, and a bond that will last a lifetime.”

The survey of 1,505 parents found that mealtimes had become a special time for the family to come together.

British Olympic medallist Tom Daley is among the 88 per cent of fathers who have experienced more with their child because of lockdown.

The diver, father of one-year-old Robbie, said: “Being out of our usual routine can be really daunting and hard to navigate for everyone.

“For me, this is the longest time in my career that I’ve been away from training.

“However, if this situation has taught me anything, it is the importance of family and time together.

“I’ve spent so much more time with Robbie learning about what he likes and doesn’t and bath times have become our thing, I love watching him playing with the bubbles and splashing around.”

SWNS