Families spend average of 49 minutes a day arguing, study claims

Research shows parents have over 2,000 arguments every year with their children

Many parents admit they often lose arguments and end up compromising to keep the peace (Rex Features)

Parents will have 2,184 arguments with their children every year – and more than half of those are about food and drink, a poll has found.

Researchers who surveyed 2,000 parents of children aged two to 12 revealed many find themselves falling out with their offspring about what they want to do, eat or drink on a daily basis.

As a result, each day on average, families disagree six times – a total of 42 rows a week or 182 a month.

Children not eating everything on their plate is the most common cause of arguments, followed by untidy bedrooms. Complaints about being hungry but then turning their nose up at anything "healthy", were also high up the list.

However, parents will only "win" just over half of the rows, as six in 10 mums and dads admitted they often end up compromising to keep the peace.

“Many parents believe that reaching a compromise with their children is the best way to keep everyone happy," said a spokesman for Capri-Sun, which commissioned the research. “With the majority of household rows being about food and drink, mums and dads have the tricky task of settling a fight while still keeping the upper hand."

Children tucking into sweets and chocolate before meals, delaying bedtime and trying to get them to sit down to do their homework are other common disagreements while gadget use and teeth brushing also made the top 10.

It also emerged the average family argument will last just over eight minutes.

Mums and dads can expect to spend 16 minutes a day negotiating with their children, with almost half making deals to get them to eat and drink what they want them to.

Almost nine in 10 offer their children a reward in return for doing as they are asked with extra time on their gadgets (22 per cent), a reward chart (26 per cent) or pocket money (23 per cent) among the most common. Forty-five per cent of parents threaten to take away screen time as a punishment.

SWNS