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# Back To School
Celebration? - fear of 'birthday marathon' creates dread in parents
The cost of birthday presents can put a financial burden onto Irish parents.
OTHER CHILDREN’S BIRTHDAYS are a major concern for the mothers of primary school goers.
A new study has found that 80% of mums surveyed responded that they felt dread over the school year’s impending ‘birthday marathon’.
The respondents indicated that their children attend on average twelve parties over the course of the school year, with €15 being the average price of a gift. Over the course of the school year, parents could be shelling out up to €180 on gifts for other people’s children.
To view the full survey, click here
The survey also found that 56% of parents are worried that their child may become a victim of bullying and that 54% of mums were concerned about how heavy their child’s school bag is.
Primary school teachers came out of the survey well, with nine out of 10 mums feeling that the teaching being received by their children was either very good or excellent.
Concern was raised among mums over the introduction of technology to the classroom. Over half of all mums asked felt that the introduction of tablets into the classroom could hinder their child’s ability to learn using traditional methods.
Financial concerns were also raised on the issue of technology, with 63% of mums worried about having to fork out for new gadgets at home or in school.
The study was carried out by MummyPages.ie over the course of the past two months and worked off a nationwide sample of over 1000 parents. The sample was made up of 98.6% mothers.
Of the parents surveyed 30% were from dual income households, 54% were from single income households, of which 8% were lone parents. Out of the sample, 16% of parents relied on state benefits as their only source of income.
READ: ‘Do I want my mum to see this?’: New app aims to stop teens sexting
READ: Back to school costs fall in 2014 but are still ‘crippling too many families’
