tantrums
Statistician calculates when children get restless on car journeys – and how they allow themselves to be bribed
Long car journeys with children can quickly become an ordeal
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Sooner or later, children lose their nerve on long car journeys. A mathematician has developed a formula that can be used to calculate when the little ones freak out – and what causes it.
Long car journeys can be annoying in and of themselves, but with small children in the back seat, they usually become pure torture. The ever-recurring question “When are we there?” it’s just the beginning Sooner or later, the offspring will start whining and crying, sometimes growing into outright tantrums.
Parents who know their children well may be able to tell when things get uncomfortable. A British statistician has also found an equation for this. James Hind from Nottingham Trent University wants to be able to use this to predict at what point in a car journey children will become monsters – intended as a guide for parents.
Survey of 2000 parents
The formula is: T = 70 + 0.5E + 15F – 10S. The variable T stands for the time of the outburst of anger. According to a survey that Hind conducted among 2,000 parents, it takes an average of 70 minutes for a child to start whining in the car. According to the statistician, however, this point can be shifted forward or backward with various variables. Depending on how many minutes the child is entertained (E), the probability decreases. Eating (F) can also prevent the tantrum for the time being. Siblings (S), on the other hand, are counterproductive. For every sibling on board, the point at which a child loses their nerve is ten minutes closer.
Through his research, Hind also found that after an average of 32 minutes in a car, children first ask, “Are we there soon?” 68 percent of the parents surveyed stated that the reason their child freaked out in the car was boredom, 62 percent said the drive was too long, and 57 percent felt the situation escalated because of hunger. On this basis, the Brit designed his formula.
Two hours by car is the maximum for children
“If you only have one child, you can entertain them and sometimes bribe them with food, you can drive two hours without a tantrum,” he calculated. With two children without entertainment and food only 40 minutes are possible. It remains to be seen whether his formula can actually be used to calculate outbursts of anger down to the minute – but it gives parents ways to make longer car journeys more bearable for their children. And Hind has another tip: He recommends regular breaks to “reset the clock.”
Source: Sky News