Talking with your child is essential for their development, but a survey shows that the recession is having a negative effect on parents' ability to spend time with their kids.
Over half of the parents surveyed by charity I Can and Openreach said that increasing work and money pressures prevent them from spending as much time as they would like with their children. While they were aware of the importance of communicating with their children, three-quarters of parents said they had taken on extra work to make ends meet. Consequently, 35% said they rarely had time to speak to their children, 40% said business calls and emails interrupted quality time and 19% said that at the end of the day they were too tired to engage in a chat.
Kate Freeman, from children's communication charity I Can, said: "Parents' best efforts are being hampered by the recession's impact on their working hours.
"We're concerned at the knock-on effect on young children who need verbal interaction to build their own speaking and understanding skills, especially in the early years."
Copyright Press Association 2012
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