Getting kissed at the school gates, holding hands and being told off in public are amongst the ‘gross’ things parents do – according to the Nation’s kids.
Wiping food of their face in front of friends, seeing their parents snog and getting called a pet name also feature highly on the list.
Gross-out comedy-horror animation Scream Street asked 1,300 children aged 6-13yr to reveal the things they hate their parents doing.
Kids also hate it when parents gross them out by talking about toilet habits, or when mum or dad picks their nose for them rather than handing them a tissue
A spokesman for Scream Street, which commissioned the study to mark the launch of the show’s new episodes on CBBC from 31st October, said: “This study clearly shows that UK families have great fun grossing each other out, and that no matter your age, parent or child, being gross is universally funny.”
The results show that the most embarrassing thing a parent can do is kiss their child at the school gates or in other public places.
Telling their kids off in public, wiping food from their face and holding their hands featured highly on the list. The nation’s children also hate it when parents gross them out by snogging, farting in public and sharing embarrassing photos of them on social media.
Two-thirds of children claim to find their parents embarrassing, and a third wish their mum and dad would try harder to be less gross. Dad wins the vote for being the most embarrassing parent according to 43 per cent of children – compared to just 19 per cent mums.
The average child thinks they started to notice their folks’ gross behaviour were when they were just six years old, and have noticed their parents are at their worst when putting on a show around friends.
A quarter of children even find their parents embarrassing when at home, while a fifth don’t like going to the supermarket in case mum or dad starts misbehaving.
But half of all children polled know their parents only do gross things because they’re trying to be funny, and only a third think that’s just the way they are.
A huge 9 out of 10 of kids find their parents funny, loving their efforts at singing and dancing around the house, as well as cringing at their gross antics.
But the research also reveals the way in which children deliberately behave disgustingly to annoy their gross parents.
Refusing to flush the toilet, keeping an untidy bedroom and wiping their nose on their sleeve rather than getting a tissue are the top three ways children know they can gross out their parents.
Saving chewing gum for later, telling disgusting jokes and chewing their own hair are amongst other unpleasant ways kids like to upset their parents.
A spokesman for Scream Street said: “Gross-out humour and silly antics will always be hilarious and it’s great to find out how much fun the UK’s families are having together – especially when they’re grossing each other out.”
Scream Street is a fast-paced and stylish comedy-horror extravaganza based on the hit book series of the same name. It follows the adventures of Luke Watson, a regular teenager apart from the werewolf gene!
Scream Street returns to CBBC on October 31st at 6pm for a run of five new brand episodes, kicking off with a Halloween special. You can see a sneak peek of Trick or Shriek here in the video above.
TOP 20 WAYS PARENTS GROSS OUT KIDS
1. Kissing them at the school gates / in public
2. Telling them off in public
3. Wiping food off their face
4. Holding their hand
5. Sharing embarrassing photos of them
6. Farting in public
7. Telling embarrassing jokes
8. Snogging
9. Calling them a pet name
10. Playing embarrassing music
11. Telling baby stories about them
12. Trying to say cool phrases
13. Drinking wine/ beer
14. Choosing them ‘uncool’ clothes to wear
15. Talking about toilet habits
16. Picking their nose for them
17. Eating horrible food such as oysters, sushi and vegetables
18. Spending hours on the toilet
19. Dressing unfashionably
20. Showing off their baby pictures
TOP 20 WAYS CHILDREN GROSS OUT THEIR PARENTS:
1. Refusing to flush the toilet
2. Untidy bedroom
3. Wiping their nose on their sleeve
4. Not washing their hands
5. Leaving dirty socks and washing on the floor
6. Not brushing their teeth
7. Eating with their mouth open
8. Spilling drinks / making a mess
9. Whining
10. Wearing the same clothes over and over again
11. Playing with their food
12. Spitting out food they don’t like
13. Yelling
14. Eating stuff off the floor
15. Chewing their hair
16. Playing with chewing gum
17. Getting covered in mud / dirt
18. Getting covered in food
19. Saving chewing gum for later
20. Telling gross jokes
Scream Street
Scream Street is produced by international media group and rights owner Coolabi (Beast Quest, Clangers, Poppy Cat), with Walker Books’ production division, Walker Entertainment, as executive producer. The show is being co-produced by Altrincham animation studio Factory (Clangers, Newzoids, Strange Hill High), and the renowned puppet and model-makers Mackinnon & Saunders (Fantastic Mr. Fox, Frankenweenie) have created the cast ensemble.
