Just as life with a baby changes overnight, many things also change as children grow up. They increasingly become individuals with their own opinions, individual interests, and often ideas that differ from those of their parents. It's important to support your children during this crucial and formative phase and encourage them to gradually follow their own path. But how easy is it for parents to let go of their children, and what can help? Bübchen conducted a representative survey*.
Hardly any topic dominates online parenting forums and parenting magazines more than "letting go of children." This process doesn't begin, as many might assume, in puberty. Long before that, children begin to distance themselves from their parents' world through autonomous behavior. Accepting this and supporting it with the right behavior is difficult for many parents. In the Bübchen study, for example, an average of almost half of the respondents stated that they find it difficult to let go of their children as they grow up.
YOUNG PARENTS LESS RELAXED THAN OLDER PARENTS
As the Bübchen survey further revealed, it is primarily parents under 30 who find it difficult to let go. More than half of respondents in this younger age group (54 percent) agree. Parents between 30 and 49 are somewhat more relaxed about the topic of letting go, with only 44 percent of respondents stating that they find it difficult to let their children go their own way.
ALMOST HALF OF THE RESPONDENTS LET THEIR CHILDREN DECIDE FOR THEMSELVES WHEN CHOOSING CARE PRODUCTS
Parents can support their children as they grow up by letting them have a say in everyday matters. Whether it's about food, choosing clothing, or personal care products, giving your children the freedom to make their own decisions is already a big and important step toward letting go. 43 percent of study participants stated that their child is allowed to choose their own personal care products. It makes little difference whether the children are under six or between seven and 18 years old. The parents surveyed also stated that their children particularly prefer products with a berry scent. Interestingly, one in three adults also likes to use shower and shampoo products with a berry scent.
ONE IN FOUR COMPLAINS: THERE ARE HARDLY A FEW SHOWER AND HAIR CARE PRODUCTS FOR GROWING CHILDREN
Letting go is a process that includes various everyday situations in which parents allow their children to make their own decisions. This also includes personal care: Children want to choose their own shower and shampoo products from an early age. The market offers a wealth of care products for babies and children. However, as almost a quarter of the study participants found, there are few suitable care products for adolescent children who are approaching or currently in puberty. The products available on the market are either too childish for them or more suited to adults.
THE MOST IMPORTANT SURVEY RESULTS AT A GLANCE:
- 42 percent of respondents find it difficult to let go of their child as they grow up
- 54 percent of parents aged up to 29 find it particularly difficult to let go of their children, while for those aged 30 to 49, the figure is only 44 percent.
- 23 percent find that there are hardly any shower and hair care products that they would buy for their growing child because most products are either too childish or more suitable for adults
- 43 percent use the same care products as their children (women 45 percent, men 40 percent)
- 43 percent said that their child is allowed to choose their own care products and loves products that smell of berries
- 35 percent of respondents like to use shower and shampoo products that smell of berries (women 41 percent, men 28 percent)
*Ipsos, April 2019, survey of 2,000 people.
