Do you sometimes feel like it’s impossible to talk to your kids, and actually have them listen? Well you are certainly not alone. A new survey finds that 20% of parents say they struggle to have a meaningful conversation with their kid, while 71% struggle to communicate with their children. And when it comes to actually talking to their children, 40% of parents say the average conversation is rarely more than 10 minutes.
It's pretty apparent kids would rather do anything than talk with mom and dad. Turns out, 82% of parents say they fell like their kids do their best to avoid having conversations with them, while 23% say kids will often give just short answers or even grunts or noises during a talk. As you can imagine, all this lack of conversation is upsetting to parents, with 72% feeling like they’re being shut out of their kid’s life, noting that such distancing usually begins around age 11.
But it may not just be the kids fault. It seems lack of time plays a big role in lack of communication between parents and kids, with 36% of moms and dads saying their busy schedule gets in the way of having meaningful conversations with their children. Work, of course, is the biggest thing taking away parents' time (41%), followed by cooking (27%).