Mothers fib to appear the perfect parent, survey shows

MANY MOTHERS cover up how much television their children watch or what they cook for their families, according to a survey from…

MANY MOTHERS cover up how much television their children watch or what they cook for their families, according to a survey from popular British parenting site, Netmums.

The survey of 5,000 mothers noted that the pressure to appear a perfect parent often prompted mothers to lie about their parenting.

More than 90 per cent of mothers admitted they compared themselves to other mothers and many reported feeling “inadequate”.

Almost one in four mothers said they lied about the amount of television their children watched, while one in five fibbed about how long they spent playing with the children.

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Nearly two-thirds of mothers said they had told white lies to other mothers about how well they were coping, while almost half said they covered up financial concerns.

The Netmums website is launching what it calls The Real Parenting Revolution, which encourages parents to accept the reality of how they live, rather than feeling bad about not being perfect.