How do parents really feel about playdates? Researchers from the C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital used data from the National Poll on Children’s Health to find answers.
According to the poll (which included a national sample of parents of kiddos ages four through nine), supervision is the number one concern about playdates. A whopping 75 percent of parents surveyed said they would definitely ask the host who will supervise the children.
Latest #MottPoll report – Parent preparation for playdateshttps://t.co/f3P1bQJgLL pic.twitter.com/rZBL14YT7o
— Mott Poll (@csmottpoll) October 21, 2019
Of course, supervision wasn’t the only concern. Fifty-five percent of parents said they’d ask about activities, 46 percent would want to know if the playdate would include older sibs or other adults, 41 percent would inquire about potential injury risks (such as trampolines or pools), 38 percent wanted to know about pets, 34 percent would ask about guns in the home and 24 percent would ask the host about medication storage spots.
The poll also revealed that 22 percent of parents would allow their child to go to a playdate at a home of a family they didn’t know without their own presence. Forty-three percent said that they’d allow their child to go, but would stay with them. Twenty-two percent of parents surveyed said they’d outright decline the playdate.
When it comes to pre-playdate meet-ups, an overwhelming 84 percent of parents were all for it. Along with an in-person meet and greet, parents also admitted they’d do some of their own sleuthing. Forty-five percent would ask friends or neighbors about the playdate hosts, 44 percent would look at social media, 36 percent would check out the neighborhood, 30 percent would search a sex offender registry, 21 percent would look t the web and another 21 percent would talk to school staff.
—Erica Loop
Featured photo: Sharon McCutcheon via Pexels
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