OUR LITTLE ANGELS Business Travelers Say the Kids Come First, According to Sheraton Hotel Survey: 67% Plans Trips around Kids Who�s the boss? When it comes to business travel, executives say it�s the children. In fact, 67% of parents polled say they have refused to go on a business trip because it conflicted with their children�s activities, according to a study just released by Sheraton Hotels & Resorts. More than one-third (41%) of those surveyed say they would cut a trip short because of a birthday or child�s illness. Nearly a third (31%) won�t travel because of a school function, and five percent would cancel a trip altogether if their children were upset about their leaving. While on the road, business travelers turn into �road worriers,� fretting about the kids� behavior and how the other spouse will cope. In fact, 13% expect the kids to give the other parent a hard time �all or most of the time,� and research shows those concerns are justified:
While only one in three (29%) adults polled worry that their spouse will let the children stay up past bedtime, 45% of the kids said they stay up late. More than half of the children (58%) say the parent staying home with them lets them �order out for food,� 15% watch scary movies and 11% watch TV shows the traveling parent would not allow. And, yes, 10% say they �jump on their beds.� More freedom isn�t the only reason for brighter smiles. Kids say when Mom or Dad is away, they are better about brushing their teeth (21%) and saying their prayers (20%).� Kids do miss family security, though, and 17% report they are more likely to sleep with a stuffed animal, 16% with a light on in their room, 15% with the television on and 11% with a radio. Children aren�t the only ones feeling a somewhat �empty nest,� according to the �Business Travelers and their Children� study. Women miss the children (93%) �and they miss them more than the men do (83%), although wives miss their husbands (21%) less than their husbands miss them (35%). Women also report missing their spouse less than their children (14% vs. 32%.) And how long could travelers go before missing home? While most parents report it is generally three days, the �comfort zone� for children having a parent away is two days. Today, with two-income families, many executives are packing up the kids along with the briefcase. Sixty percent of parents say they�ve taken a child along on a business trip because �it�s a good learning experience for them� (47%) or �we�re going on vacation after the business trip� (40%). For executives who don�t bring the children, 75% say it�s because the child is in school. Parents who don�t take the kids along generally take a photo. Only 5% of the women and 11% of the men polled admit they don�t carry a picture of their children.� (Only 58% of the women bring along a photo of their spouse, but 78% of the men tote along a snapshot of their wife.) And, the answer to the perennial question, �What did you bring me?� is no surprise: 27% bring home a T-shirt. Edited by Kerry Cohen |
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TM