Myleene Klass: Family Breakfasts Are A Thing Of The Past

They say that a good breakfast sets you up for the day and according to celeb mum-of-three Myleene Klass, it’s the key to carving out some quality family time too.

Because, according to new research by breakfast spread nutella – who Myleene has partnered with – an average of 10 per cent of working mums (and the same percentage of dads), now leave the house before their children wake up, leaving the breakfast routine and school run to a co-parent, nanny or childminder.

In fact, as many as one in five parents (19 per cent) claim they cannot remember the last time the family sat down for breakfast together, while only a quarter of modern families (24 per cent) have breakfast together during the week, according to the study.

The nationwide study of 2,000 parents and their children found a significant 23 per cent of mums and dads feel under “constant” time pressure as a family.

Long working hours (34 percent) are the main reason parents struggle to spend quality time with their children and the study found that the average British working parent shares just SEVEN meals with their children during the working week.

Commenting on the research, Myleene told Belle About Town: ‘Spending quality time with my family is so important to me, especially at breakfast time to make sure everyone is feeling prepared for the day ahead.

‘In today’s rushed, modern world it’s so important to carve out dedicated time for family whenever we can. I find that even just 15 minutes of family time in the morning makes us all feel more positive for the day ahead.’

And according to leading family psychologist Linda Blair, who was involved in the study, a 15-minute family breakfast like Myleene’s goes a long way to improving family harmony.

She says: ‘What we do in our first hour after waking sets our mood for the rest of the day. For time-poor parents, even just 15 minutes sharing a meal with children is enough to increase happiness and family bonding.

‘Keep phones and devices away from the table, share happy memories to improve everyone’s mood and encourage everyone to set a positive, achievable goal for the day ahead. I encourage all families to try out the formula for spending time together and see how their happiness improves.’

It might all sound like hard work but Myleene reveals how she puts the idea into practice at home:

“In our family, we do some prep for breakfast the night before including setting out the table to make sure we have enough time for family bonding with new baby Apollo.

“I also like to involve my daughters Ava and Hero in preparing their own breakfast, I really believe that confidence in the kitchen is a fantastic life skill for children to learn early.”