The COVID-19 outbreak may have a silver lining. Despite all of the anxiety and stress people are facing due to the current situation, a new study suggests that it’s at least given families an opportunity to spend quality time together. With many states implementing social distancing measures and even ‘Stay-at-Home’ orders, many families have no choice but to spend a lot of time together indoors. But it sounds like this has had a positive impact on many parents and kids.

According to The Sun, a recent poll was conducted by ChannelMum.com on 2,000 parents who agreed that social distancing restrictions have given them more time to bond with their kids. The publication adds that more than half of parents say the situation has made their kids more “community-minded” and willing to help their loved ones. 73 percent of the parents said their family has brought groceries to vulnerable individuals, while 53 percent adds they have also gotten medication.

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The study also inquired into how families are spending their increased free time at home. They were surprised to find that many parents and kids are gravitating towards non-technology related activities. Half of the respondents reported playing more board games and puzzles than before self-distancing measures began, and 30 percent of parents said they were reading an increased number of books with their kids. The Sun adds that 28 percent said they had also recently begun gardening as a family.

Many respondents implied they were discouraging their kids from spending too much time in front of screens. Only a third of respondents confessed to letting their kids watch more movies and TV shows. Moreover, only a quarter said they had eased up on their rules surrounding screen time.

“Being forced to halt our busy lives and spend time together in quarantine has made many of us consider what’s really important, like children, parents and the community they are part of,” Siobhan Freegard, founder of the website that conducted the poll, said of the results. “Despite the dreadful toll the pandemic is taking, people are becoming more thankful for the small pleasures in life.” Freegard says she expects more families to become community-oriented the longer the coronavirus pandemic lasts.

The study didn’t just find that quarantine is benefiting families as a whole. It’s also helping couples, too. The poll discovered that more than half of respondents disagreed that self-isolating would bring them closer to their partner before beginning quarantine. But four weeks later, when asked, 60 percent of respondents said they felt happier with their partner than before. A quarter admitted to having more frequent sex, while 21 percent confessed to getting it on every day.

Source: The Sun

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