Parents have revealed the weirdest things they've had to do to avoid their kids having a full meltdown in lockdown -including eating sand and pretending to be a wasp.
Mums and dads admitted to surreal behaviour during the 2020 lockdown to try and keep the peace with their offspring.
And since the country was plunged into another mass quarantine period this week, there's a good chance those experiences could be repeated.
A study found that as families found themselves confined together like never before, parents were under more pressure to please their children.
Some have revealed the most absurd things they’ve had to do to keep the peace and avoid their children having lockdown meltdowns.
Research conducted by Aldi’s baby and toddler brand, Mamia, unveiled tetchy tiny-person demands, including a parent whose little one forced them to eat sand at the beach to stave off a tantrum and a long-suffering adult who was ordered to sing aloud in the supermarket to keep their little one smiling.
One parent even had to continue doorstep clapping for the NHS, well after everyone else had finished and headed back to the sofa – all in the name of keeping the peace.
Amusing anecdotes also included a child demanding that their parents play loud Drum & Bass music, and a little cherub refusing to sleep anywhere other than a trampoline.
One parent even had their tot deliver the ultimatum of letting the dog lick their child’s toes to avoid a lockdown tantrum.
The research showed that over half of parents are concerned they haven’t gotten their children outside enough (54 percent) and almost a quarter (24 percent) say their tiny tot has picked up on, and repeated, a swear word they’ve overheard from them during lockdown.
Despite all these shenanigans, a large proportion of parents (45 percent) say they feel closer than ever to their children as a result of spending more time together and a third (30 percent) say, despite a few arguments, their children have become their best friends since the first lockdown began.
Julie Ashfield, Managing Director for Buying at Aldi, said: “I think most parents have probably had a bizarre parenting moment in 2020.
"What’s heart-warming though, is that despite all these sometimes challenging shenanigans, many parents feel closer than ever to their children.”
