How many mums have felt let down by their adult kids on Mother’s Day?

Connor IbbetsonData Journalist
March 26, 2022, 11:44 AM GMT+0

Mothers are more likely to feel let down by their adult children than fathers on their day

Mother’s Day is fast approaching, and while half of Britons might not think it is a “proper” celebration (52%), those who boycott the day risk upsetting their mum.

New YouGov research among parents with grown-up children shows three in ten mums have felt let down on Mother's Day by their adult kids. This includes 6% who have been disappointed by their children many times, 12% a few times, and a further 12% who have been let down once or twice.

Thankfully, most mums say their grown-up children haven’t let them down before (61%).

Dads are less likely to have been disappointed. Only 18% overall say their adult kids have failed to make a good effort for them on Father’s Day in the past. This includes 6% who say this has happened many times, 7% a few times, and 5% who have felt let down once or twice.

Despite this, around the same number of dads as mums say their kids haven’t let them down on Father’s Day before (60% versus 61% of mums). The difference between the parents is that dads are more than three times as likely not to celebrate Father’s Day as mums are to not celebrate Mother’s Day (20% versus 6%).

See full results here

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