UK parents dread looking after their kids' friends over the holidays

Ahead of this week’s summer holidays as children break-up in Scotland, voucherbox.co.uk has conducted new research to uncover whether parents fight in the playground as much as their children.

The reasons for disliking their children’s friends vary dramatically, but the most likely reasons are because they are badly behaved, obnoxious, bullying or manipulative.

15% of Scottish parents dislike their child’s friend for misbehavior, while 12% of parents think their kid’s best mate is spoilt.

29% of mothers dislike their children’s friend’s parents while 31% of dads can’t stand ‘em. Mum’s are less likely to do anything about it while dads are more likely to actively encourage their kids to make pals elsewhere.

So, what can the long-suffering parents do about it? 29% of parents will subtly attempt to encourage other friendships, while 24% will keep quiet and silently seethe as their child spends time with a seemingly bad influence.

To avoid these friendships from blossoming, 24% of Scottish parents will discourage their child from spending time with the family while a further 13% will speak to other parents for support (or a bit of a gossip).

35% of parents won’t invite the naughty child (and parents) to their playdates in an attempt to freeze them out and discourage any further bond forming.

But the drama doesn’t stop there – parents across Scotland have also admitted to disliking their children’s friends’ parents. 30% of parents have an issue with the parents of their child’s friends, with 17% claiming the reason is because they don’t control their child properly and 7% feeling as though they can’t be trusted with their children.

Shockingly enough, the parents that have issues with their kids aren’t just the parents of teenagers. 34% of the children that parents dislike are actually aged between 2 and 5 years old, proving that age has no limit when it comes to making enemies.

Shane Forster, Country Manager of Voucherbox.co.uk says “Whether their kids will make friends is always a worry for parents. However, we don’t often think about what to do when they do make friends, but the grown ups don’t like them! We are more used to learning about tension on the playground between kids rather than between adults, but it has been very interesting to see that when it comes to the parents they can often disapprove of their child’s choice of playmate!”

If you’re looking to distract your child from spending time with this badly-behaved buddy, take a look at our Odeon vouchers for a distracting day out.