KINDNESS, DAD JOKES AND THE ULTIMATE TAXI DRIVER – THE RECIPE FOR A UK DAD
The Molloy family poses with their beloved family home built in LEGO® brick and mortar, with some of London's iconic landmarks in the background. Mum, Áine Molloy (40), Dad Jarlarth Molloy (41) and Sons Fionn (9), Darragh (4), and Oisín (9 months) captured a family photo to mark the once in a lifetime opportunity to have their family home immortalised in the iconic Miniland. LEGOLAND® Windsor Resort launched the unique competition with online estate agents Purple Bricks to celebrate the opening of the new brick building experience The Brick, open now.
AHEAD of Father’s Day, new research has revealed what skills and qualities make a dad in the UK today – with some heartwarming results.
A survey of 1,012 UK adults by One4all Gift Cards revealed the qualities and skills British dads are most known for.
While the classic useful DIY skills, including putting up shelves or changing a lightbulb, topped the list (38%) – heartwarmingly, almost as many (30%) say they learned how to be kind, honest and generous from their fathers.
Other practical qualities scored highly – with British dads being known for teaching kids car maintenance (28%) and how to ride a bike (1 in 4 – 24%).
But dads were also credited with having taught their grown up children how to maintain good family values (1 in 5 – 20%).
The softer side of British dads is reflected in the well-documented current generation of celebrity dads – including David Beckham, Mark Wright and Tom Fletcher, with the former having provided relationship advice to eldest son, Brooklyn, on his wedding day.
And it’s not just factual advice that dads provide – British adults admit that their dads are always happy to offer the sort of advice Google can’t (17%).
The data also revealed that the ‘Dad taxi’ is very much real for UK families – as almost 1 in 2 (45%) say their dad would never say no to giving them a lift as a child.
They’re also known for acts of everyday heroism – with more than 1 in 3 (34%) being rescued by their dads from the roadside when their car broke down, while nearly 1 in 5 (15%) say their dad skilfully saved them from bedroom monsters and comforted them as a child.
British adults will also turn to their dads for help with car trouble (74%) and finances (17%).
They’re also celebrated for always trying their best and putting the kids first (37%).
Ironically, just 3 in 20 celebrated their dad for their funny but typically unfunny dad jokes (14%).
Lou Hickey, Marketing Director at One4all Gift Cards, comments on the findings: “No matter how many times our dads might tell an embarrassing joke in front of our friends or tell us off for forgetting to fill up the car with petrol, it’s clear from the research how much love and gratitude the nation has for the dad in their lives – whether they embarrass them or not.
“There are so many important life skills dads teach us throughout our lives, whether that be practical skills, or helping to shape who we are as a person, and there is no better time than Father’s Day to let the dad in your life know just how much you appreciate them for all that he does. Why not treat dads to a One4all Father’s Day gift card this year, so he can choose a gift he really wants!”
The Top 10 Life Skills The Nation’s Dads Have Taught Us
General DIY (38%)
How to be honest, kind and generous to others (30%)
Car maintenance (26%)
How to successfully ride a bike (24%)
How to maintain good family values (20%)
How to do maths, read and write (19%)
The importance of listening and respecting others (14%)
How to swim (12%)
How to be happy in myself (9%)
How to tie a tie (7%)
The One4all Gift Card can be spent in more than 55,000 stores across the UK and can be loaded with anything from £10 to £120. It is easy to buy from your local Post Office, Tesco, selected Morrisons, Co-op, Sainsburys, Waitrose and Iceland supermarkets nationwide, as well as online at one4all.com
