Popular online support network Mumsnet has revealed that most parents feel unduly pressured to comply with the 'model of perfect parenting' presented by Mumsnet.
"Parents have an increasing number of stress inducing activities which they have to face each week", explained Mumsnet spokesman Susan Thurrock, "Whether it's ensuring that only organic ingredients are used when baking cake daily with your toddlers, selecting the correct classical music to soothe you child to sleep, or sourcing the best route and time to drive your young ones to a road near enough to the school to then be walkable, but far enough away to not be noticed by other parents. Whilst good, capable parents will be able to achieve all this and more without breaking sweat or worring, sadly some of the bad parents will struggle."
The report asked parents to identify the top three sources of pressure put upon them as parents. The top three answers returned were Mumsnet, Netmums, and traditional weekend supplements and newspaper parenting advice columns. Mumsnet agony aunt Lynda McAdams says that the report should "be a wake up call for the Government to provide both further assistance and advice and less nanny state meddling, in parental matters."
The conclusions of the report suggest that it may be better to manage the expectations of different groups of Mumsnet users by providing access to different message boards based upon postcode, McAdams explained that this would help "sort the Chelseas from the Putneys".
