You’re not even going to believe this, but new research tells us that dads are spending time in the bathroom to avoid spending time with their family. Quel surprise!
Leave me alone!
Yep. It turns out that around a third of men (okay they were British men, but still …) were using the bathroom as a sort of hideout.
They sought to avoid a whole bunch of things they found pesky, and the time they spend in there has really been adding up.
“The survey of 1,000 men found that on average they spend a total of seven hours a year in the bathroom, simply avoiding stuff,” The Independent reports.
“Respondents said the main reasons they hid in the toilet was to avoid chores and look at their phones undisturbed.”
The stealthy menfolk revealed a number of other fun facts about their bathroom sneak-ery:
For instance, 45 percent said that “getting any time to themselves was a struggle” so the bathroom became a valuable refuge.
Further, 25 percent “claimed their partner does not appreciate how busy their life is” and it appears those men find their sanity and some much needed recovery time … in the loo.
In fact, 25 percent said that if they couldn’t hide in the bathroom they didn’t “know how they’d cope” and that the bathroom was their “safe place”.
And 33 percent confirmed that hiding in the bathroom is the only way they can “get any time to themselves”.
A surprising 14 percent went in prepared, storing items “such as magazines, books and even food for times when they hide away in the bathroom,” The Independent says.
Time out for everyone, please!
What about women, you may be wondering. Don’t they hide in the bathroom too?
Well they do, but not quite as frequently as the gents, it would appear.
Around 20 percent of women use the bathroom “to escape everyone and get some much needed peace” the report said.
Jokes aside, all this really does seem to indicate that parents are feeling the pressure.
Perhaps negotiating some equitable ‘me time’ — for both parents — somewhere more satisfying than the bathroom should be on the agenda for couples?
If you’re hiding in the bathroom, perhaps it’s time to level up to a solo cafe visit? Or some other form of self-care? You deserve it.
Originally Published: babyology.com.au
