London parents are the UK’s top spenders when it comes to entertaining their kids over the summer holidays, a new study has found.
Families in the capital spend £748 to keep their children busy during the six-week school break – £206 more than the national average.
A survey of 2,000 parents, with kids aged between four and 12, found that disagreements over where to eat and what film to watch were the top causes of family bust-ups.
Overall, 77 per cent of participants admitted they feel pressure to keep their children entertained over the summer, with the stress often sparking rows.
“Although most children look forward to the summer holidays, they can also be a tough time for many families,” said TV psychologist Dr Sam Wass.
“Long periods of unstructured time can lead to lots of disagreements.
“Many parents worry about the mounting costs that come with entertaining their children, with almost a fifth of Londoners (18%) citing it as a cause of squabbles.”
The comparethemarket.com study said 28% of Londoners consider the summer holidays to be the worst time for family arguments, with one in ten families falling out over where to eat out.
Dr Wass recommended families spend more time doing fun activities that don’t break the bank.
“For parents, it might feel as if the more you spend, the more fun the kids will have – but this isn’t always the case,” he said.
