NEW YORK — Most parents experience FOMO — fear of missing out — especially when their jobs require them to be away from their little ones. A recent poll of 2,000 parents found 63 percent never want to miss a moment of their child’s life and 61 percent feel guilty when they’re absent during those times.
What 58 percent of working parents specifically never want to miss is bedtime. Three in five parents would even give up coffee entirely to not miss tucking their children into bed at night.
FOMO — but too busy for the kids?
Conducted by OnePoll and commissioned by Amazon Glow, the study reveals that 59 percent of working parents believe their jobs make it challenging to spend their desired amount of time with their kids. This feeling intensifies for many in industries that make it hard to be home for homework or bedtime. First responders (66%), commercial truck drivers (66%), and healthcare workers (64%) all say they miss out on critical moments of their kid’s life due to their jobs.
While working long hours limits them from tucking in their kids at night, 65 percent of parents believe their children understand the situation and the sacrifices mom and dad make for them. From the kids’ perspective, the poll finds six in 10 would eat broccoli every night for a week if it meant having their parents home to tuck them in during bedtime.
“It’s clear that bedtime is such an important bonding moment for children and parents alike,” says Babak Parviz, vice president at Amazon, in a statement. “But there are many parents and family members who can’t always be there for it due to their job, which can feel like a painful tradeoff for families.”
Video chat has its ups and downs
Thirty-five percent of kids add they miss watching movies together with their parents. The same percentage miss eating their favorite meals and 34 percent miss playing games together with their moms and dads when they’re not home.
Parents do turn to technology to help fill the gap of being apart while working. In fact, nearly half (45%) rely on video calling to stay connected and chat with their kids throughout the day. However, it’s not without flaws. Over half (56%) say their kids have trouble paying attention during video chats. A third can only keep their kids on the phone for a few minutes at a time.
“Technology is playing an increasingly powerful role in helping families stay connected from anywhere,” Parviz continues. “It’s exciting to see where the industry is headed. And how new innovations will better engage kids and empower these families to feel like they’re erasing the miles, even when apart.”