The top 10 ways children damage their parents' homes
A full rundown from spilling food and drink on the carpets to hiding valuables in the washing machine
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Your support makes all the difference.The average child in the UK will cause £5,000 damage in their parents' homes by the time they reach 18, according to a new report.
Three-year-olds are the most destructive, says the 'True Cost of a Child' report from MORE TH>N, causing £526 worth of damage each during the year.
It lists the most common damage caused at home as:
1. Spilling food and drink on the carpets (63%)
2. Smashing plates and crockery (35%)
3. Drawing and painting on the walls (33%)
4. Breaking vases, pictures and photo frames (24%)
5. Tearing wallpaper from the walls (22%)
6. Jumping on beds until they break (15%)
7. Breaking windows playing sports in the garden (10%)
8. Damaging the TV playing computer games (9%)
9. Putting food and drink in electrical objects (7%)
10. Hiding valuables in the washing machine (6.6%)
The report shows that after the age of 10, levels of household destruction gradually fall until children reach 16 at which point the damage levels start to rise once again.
One in five parents with both sons and daughters believe that their daughters are more responsible for damage rby the time they reach 18. Children in London top the regional list, causing an average of £387 damage each a year, followed by youngsters in the West Midlands (£379) and the North West (£347).
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