Millennial parents say 2020 made them rethink how to raise their kids, improve bonding

NEW YORK — A turbulent 2020 is leading many young parents to throw everything they know about raising kids out the window. A new survey finds four in five say 2020 is making them completely reevaluate how they parent.

The poll of 2,000 millennial parents examined the impacts the past twelve months will have on how they go about raising their children. Researchers find 72 percent say the COVID-19 pandemic, in particular, has helped them become a more compassionate parent than before. Another 73 percent are prioritizing the little moments they share with their children.

Millennial Parents

OnePoll conducted the research, commissioned by new luxury diaper brand – Millie Moon, and discovered half of millennial moms and dads have made an effort to focus on spending more one-on-one time with each kid they have.

COVID is leading to more parent-child bonding

Thanks to the pandemic, two in three millennial parents are showing that compassion by making a more concerted effort to purchase products with a charitable tie. Respondents say COVID-19 is the top event during 2020 to prompt this decision. The economic crisis and the Black Lives Matter movement also made it in the top five.

To help mitigate ongoing effects the last year has had on their children, 44 percent of parents say they have lessened their emphasis on performing well at school. Beyond changes to their parenting styles, adults are rearranging priorities in their own lives. Forty-three percent have opted to move their work and career further down the list of priorities. Respondents add this freed up time has a major impact on their children.

Two in three (64%) plan to practice what they preach so their children learn from their example, with nearly half (47%) deciding to increase how much they give to charity. Over half of those polled hope their children learn the importance of giving back.

“The past year has been challenging for parents, but the silver lining is that 73 percent of parents have been able to prioritize sharing more of those special little moments with their children,” says Amelia Watson, Global Marketing Manager at Millie Moon Luxury Diapers, in a statement.

“We understand these quality moments with your little ones are precious which is why we set out to create something to allow parents more time to focus on their child’s growth and development, especially during those important first chapters.”

Millennial Parents

Parents are embracing the importance of story time

Beyond their own actions, parents are also relying on educational TV shows (55%) and books (42%) to instill these vital lessons into their youngsters. Forty-eight percent see story time as a key bonding moment. The average parent says they read to their kids three times a week. Seven in 10 have made it a priority to read to their children for at least 15 minutes a day.

Nearly the same amount (69%) believe there are long-term benefits that will pay off from consistently reading aloud to their kids. Over half the poll (54%) want their children to have improved language skills while 49 percent just want to spark their kids’ imaginations.

“Not only is reading aloud one of the most powerful bonding experiences between parent and child, but there are numerous long-term benefits that some parents are not aware of,” Watson adds.

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