Back To School May Be Tougher On Parents Then Their Kids

A new survey from Life360 asks 1,000 parents of school-age children about their back-to-school routines and stressors, and it turns out, a lot of us are struggling.

• Time and logistics are a big issue for a lot of families who are juggling transportation, after-school activities, sports leagues, homework time and more.
• Parents spend an average of 17 hours a week coordinating family schedules and logistics, which is basically the equivalent of a part-time job.
• More than half (57%) say fitting in all their activities is a challenge and 54% admit they struggle to keep up with every detail of their family’s schedule.
• Two-thirds (68%) of parents feel burdened by all the things they need to complete.
• Money can be an even bigger stressor, since parents are buying school supplies, clothes, shoes and whatever the latest must-have water bottle is, the average family expects to spend $458 per child on back-to-school needs.
• Even worse? Parents estimate their kids will each lose around $175 worth of goods during the school year, like backpacks, calculators and books.
• That’s why the ultimate cost of everything needed is the #1 cause of back-to-school stress for 51% of parents.
• So it’s no wonder that 44% of parents rate their back-to-school stress level as high and 29% say it’s more stressful than holiday.