LONDON, 2014-8-27 — /EPR Retail News/ — British parents revealed the most emotional milestone in bringing up a child – the first day at school. Researchers who polled 2,000 parents of school children found that, while parenthood is crammed full of millions of joyous moments, dropping a little son or daughter off at school was hailed as the most emotional.
A third felt a mixture of excitement tinged with anxiousness, while a quarter of the dads polled said they themselves were moved to tears.
And seven in ten mums who took part in the study said they were forced to reach for a tissue when their satchel-clad four year old wandered into a classroom for the first time, the poll by Sainsbury’s found.
A proud eight in ten parents captured the moment with a ‘first day of school’ photo of their son or daughter proudly dressed in their new school uniform before swiftly framing it, issuing copies to other family members or for a quarter- uploading it to Facebook straightaway.
Among the other emotional milestones were a child’s first tentative steps, the first word spoken and celebrating their very first birthday.
The preparation for school starts long before the first day as results showed parents put in extra time to teach their child core skills to have them up to speed for their first day – tying shoe laces, telling the time and basic writing skills were the trickiest to teach.
The countdown to that all important day starts a whole month before for over 1.5 million parents already shopping for school uniforms, bags, lunch boxes and stationery, while 10 per cent are focussed more than two months before that very first day.
The 20 most emotional milestones for parents
- First day at school
- First steps
- First word
- First birthday
- First day at nursery
- First Christmas
- First crawl
- First nativity/school play
- First time riding a bike
- First swim
- First time writing their name
- First holiday
- First time reading words
- First tooth
- First solid foods
- First sports day
- First school report
- First parents evening
- When they became fully potty trained
- First time they counted to ten
Yesterday John Carolan, Head of Buying for Tu childrenswear at Sainsbury’s said: “Many parents view their child’s first day at school as the main sign that their baby has grown to a child.
“It’s the culmination of a lot of hard setting them up with the right skills for life, and preparing over the weeks or even months to get uniforms, equipment and everything else they need for the big day.
“It’s understandable that saying goodbye at the school gate is such a wrench.”
The research detailed the depth of emotion for parents around their child’s school years and compiled the 20 biggest moments.
The study also found a new family’s first Christmas together and seeing a child take to the stage for the first time in a school play inside the top 10 of the most-cherished parenting moments.
Other moments that parents really savoured were seeing their young one write their own name for the first time, ride a bike or swim unaided.
And many will always save the very first school report they got for their child which featured as one of the 20 most emotional parenting milestones.
But it’s that very first day that sticks with mums most and the whirlwind of emotions was evident with more than half bursting with pride the moment they dropped their child at the school gates or marvelling at how quickly the time had passed.
John Carolan, Head of Buying for Tu childrenswear at Sainsbury’s added: “The first day of school is a huge milestone in a child’s life. It marks the first opportunity for your child to go out and have a go at something new by themselves and this is bound to make any parent feel proud.
“To make parents lives easier at such an emotional time, we have everything they will need for the back to school shop including top quality, hard wearing, uniforms and accessories at great prices.
“With an extensive range of school uniform, school bags, lunch boxes and stationery, we are firmly committed to providing parents with quality products that will last the entire school year, no matter how lively your little angels are.”
Notes to editors
- Sainsbury’s has put their Back To School range to the test to create durable, high quality uniforms at surprisingly low price points – offering exceptional value from ages 2 to 16
- Great deals include Boys Trousers, Girls Skirts and Cardigans from £2.25 per item and Unisex White Polo Shirts from 87p per item
- From pull-tested seams and buttons to fabrics that retain their shape up to 100 washes, every item in the Tu school uniform range at Sainsbury’s has been rigorously trialled; ensuring garments will withstand the daily wear and tear of school life.
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