Does dad compete with the
children? Children
rate their fathers as among their least popular
playmates, because they are too competitive. This
is the finding of a recent survey of more than 1000
youngsters, held by the Children's Play Council. Apparently
fathers tend to 'play to win', lack imagination, or are
simply at a loss as to how to play games. In any
event, children up to the age of 12 would rather play
with their friends, their mother or their brothers and
sisters. Only one in 16 chose their fathers as
their ideal companions. The
director of the Children's Play Council warns: “Dads
have difficulty not being too competitive. They
don't find it easy to let children win. But
children will get fed up if they lose all the time. It's
frankly demoralising and not much fun.” A poll
by the parents website www.parents.org.uk has found that
60 per cent of parents admit to being competitive with
their children, as against 40 per cent who said they were
not. In any case, experts in childcare urge parents
to play with their children as much as they can. Children
benefit hugely from parental involvement in their lives,
at all levels. “Even cuddling up on the couch
and watching TV together and talking about it afterwards
is useful,” says one expert. |