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Parenting

16th Nov 2018

THIS is the age that your children start to find you embarrassing

HerFamily

Remember squirming in shame as your mum tried to plant a kiss on your cheek at the school gates?

Yeah, things haven’t changed much for your kids. These days, however, it seems blaring Daniel O’Donnell from the car window is much lower down the list of parental mortification methods than it once was… and kids are scoffing at mum and dad earlier than ever.

According to a new survey, two thirds of children claim to find their parents embarrassing, and a third wish their mum and dad would try harder to be less gross.

The average child thinks they started to notice their folks’ morto behaviour when they were just six years old, and have noticed their parents are at their worst when putting on a show around friends.

Of 1,300 children aged between six and 13, wiping food off their face or telling them off in front of friends and calling them by a pet name were crimes that featured highly on the list.

While many kids cringe when their parents share embarrassing photos of them on social networking sites or tell baby stories to friends and family, kids also hate it when parents gross them out by talking about toilet habits, or when mum or dad picks their nose for them rather than handing them a tissue.

The study, conducted ahead of the launch of the new gross-out animated CBBC comedy series Scream Street, shows children feel completely grossed out when their parents eat disgusting food such as sushi, vegetables or oysters.

They also hate it when mum or dad insist on playing awful music when their friends are round, and when they wear unfashionable clothing.

Children also complain when their folks try to say cool phrases, buy them ‘uncool’ clothes to wear or get out the baby pictures in front of others.

TOP 20 WAYS PARENTS GROSS OUT KIDS

  1. Kissing them at the school gates / in public
  2. Telling them off in public
  3. Wiping food off their face
  4. Hold their hand
  5. Sharing embarrassing photos of them
  6. Farting in public
  7. Telling embarrassing jokes
  8. Snogging
  9. Calling them a pet name
  10. Playing embarrassing music
  11. Telling baby stories about them
  12. Trying to say cool phrases
  13. Drinking wine/ beer
  14. Choosing them ‘uncool’ clothes to wear
  15. Talking about toilet habits
  16. Picking them nose for them
  17. Eating horrible food such as oysters, sushi and vegetables
  18. Spending hours on the toilet
  19. Dressing unfashionably
  20. Showing off their baby pictures

TOP 20 WAYS CHILDREN GROSS OUT THEIR PARENTS:

  1. Refusing to flush the toilet
  2. Untidy bedroom
  3. Wiping their nose on their sleeve
  4. Not washing their hands
  5. Leaving dirty socks and washing on the floor
  6. Not brushing their teeth
  7. Eating with the mouth open
  8. Spilling drinks / making a mess
  9. Whining
  10. Wearing the same clothes over and over again
  11. Playing with their food
  12. Spitting out food they don’t like
  13. Yelling
  14. Eating stuff off the floor
  15. Chewing their hair
  16. Playing with chewing gum
  17. Getting covered in mud / dirt
  18. Getting covered in food
  19. Saving chewing gum for later
  20. Telling gross jokes