Top 10 morning stress causes include tantrums at breakfast and bathroom queues
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Breakfast is the most stressful period of the day - due to time limitations, tantrums and queues for the bathroom leaving most of us grabbing our first meal 'on the go'. A study of 1,000 parents revealed a never-ending list of early morning responsibilities that left two-thirds feeling there are never enough minutes in the day. Getting yourself - and the kids - out of bed on time, helping little ones brush their teeth, and making sure everyone eats well topped the list of culprits behind morning stress. During a typical working week, families will sit and eat breakfast together for just two out of five days, wolfing down their meal in less than 10 minutes. But 15 per cent never eat the first meal of the day together. Nearly two-thirds of mums and dads - and half of children - wish they could sit down and talk together EVERY morning over breakfast. The study was commissioned by Lyle's Golden Syrup to encourage Brits to enjoy #LylesGoldenTime - 15 minutes connecting with loved ones over a good breakfast, setting everyone up in mind and body for the day ahead. Sara Metcalfe, group product manager at Lyle's Golden Syrup, said: "Monday to Friday means the weekly grind, and that starts in the morning. "Breakfast is traditionally deemed the most important meal of the day, but a never-ending list of things to do can see us chasing our tails before we've even left the house. "With kids running amuck, getting everyone to sit down and eat together can be hugely challenging. But taking those extra 15 minutes can make a world of difference." The study also found that after spending nearly an hour battling through the morning routine, more than a quarter of parents would describe getting themselves - and the kids - out the door on time as a 'daily struggle'. A fifth said they spend the majority of time in the morning packing bags, with three in 10 preparing lunches for the family and a third swamped by ensuring everyone has breakfast. As a result, a quarter of families end up being late leaving the house for more than half of their working week. The research, which also polled 1,000 children aged six to 16, found nearly a quarter of youngsters find getting ready for school stressful. More than three in 10 said being unable to find their school clothes can worry them first thing in the morning, with getting homework done a concern for 45 per cent. But as many as eight in 10 youngsters agreed it's important to have breakfast, with more than one in 10 feeling that skipping the family meal can make getting ready for school more stressful. It also emerged 62 per cent of adults are grabbing breakfast on the go, rather than making time for a meal, with the average adult skipping their morning sustenance entirely twice a week. A third of parents also admitted to giving their child something to eat 'on the go', so they don't start the day on an empty stomach. The good news is that a good breakfast doesn't have to take the whole morning, as more t
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