Parent playground politics

Almost half of first time mums feel nervous about the school run because of other parents in the playground.

A new national study has revealed that 47% of first time mums are more nervous than their children about entering the school playground on a daily basis – and this is all down to the other ‘playground mums’ who reside over the school area. You know the type – there is always one ‘Queen Bee’ of the school playground.

Playground politics can be just as intimidating for parents as it can be for children, with 26% of new mums saying that taking their children into the school playground brings back all their own insecurities surrounding their time as pupils many years ago.

Almost 1 in 5 mums choose the clothing they will wear for the school run, hoping that their choice of outfit will help them blend in and be more readily accepted. But still, around 1 in 4 mums do not feel like they ‘fit’ with the other playground parents by the end of their childs first school year.

Interestingly, by the time these mums are taking their second child to school, most of these insecurities have disappeared. Just 15% of mums with second children said they were nervous about taking them into the playground.

Are we being too sensitive, or do the playground politics really exist amongst the mothers?