A Confident Start to the School Year Hinges on Parent Communication

Parenting Experts Share Back-to-School Confidence-Boosting Tips

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Sep 15, 2010, 07:42 ET

NEW YORK, Sept. 15 /PRNewswire/ -- Children are heading back to school and while many parents are breathing a sigh of relief, getting back into the school routine can be a real sweat-inducing time for kids. Unilever – the leading manufacturer of deodorant/ antiperspirants and the maker of Degree® Men, Degree® Women, Degree® Girl, Dove® and Suave® Deodorant – conducted a Tween Confidence Index* and found clear results about the worries of both moms and kids.

From social situations to concerns at school, the Tween Confidence Index identified occasions that make tweens break a sweat. The top worries amongst the set are hearing rumors about themselves or friends and difficult teachers, both at 68 percent. Getting good grades also ranked high at 61 percent, and just over half of tweens (51 percent) surveyed said their first kiss makes them sweat.

For moms, children's independence and school progress were the focus. Almost three-quarters of moms (73 percent) worried about their children seeking more freedom. Sixty percent stated that doing well in school as a concern, followed by eating healthy and safely using the internet, both at 55 percent.

While it's natural for kids to have mixed emotions about going back to school, National PTA President Chuck Saylors says, "When it comes to easing back-to-school stress, a little parental encouragement goes a long way." Saylors offers two helpful tips that can make a big difference in boosting kids' confidence:

Chuck Saylor's Tips on Tween Confidence

Tip #1 - Cheer your child on. If your child is feeling nervous about going to school and comes down with a case of the "shys" – remind her of all the things she does well – that will help boost her confidence.
Tip #2 - Don't rush it. If your child is nervous about fitting in at a new school, remind him he doesn't have to make all his friends on the first day of school. And encourage him to join a club or go out for a team. That's a terrific way to meet kids who share similar interests.

Saylors says one of the most important things parents can do to ease tween stress is to keep the lines of communication open. In fact, 69 percent of tweens surveyed said the talks they have with their parents are very helpful in dealing with the pressure and challenges they face, revealing a direct correlation between communication and confidence.

Rosalind Wiseman, internationally recognized educator and author of New York Times Best Seller, Queen Bees and Wannabes, offers three tips to help parents maintain strong communications with their kids:

Rosalind Wiseman's Don't Sweat It Tips:

Tip #1 – Focus on listening. Conversation can become a battle of wills. It all starts with listening.
Tip #2 – Start with the small stuff. If you can talk to your kids at the start of puberty, they will come to you later for bigger things. One of the first changes you notice is body odor. If you can offer a simple solution like using deodorant now, then your child will be more comfortable talking to you about things like sexting, eating disorders and bullying.
Tip #3 – Control what your child hears. The Unilever survey found that three in four moms feel there are more challenges for tweens growing up today than when they were that age. Parents should try to set some reasonable limits for their child. One way to do that is to keep the cell phone out of their bedroom.

For more information the Unilever Tween Confidence Index, an interactive product selector to help find the best deodorant for a child and expert articles about navigating the sweat-inducing moments and transitioning tweens into confident and self-reliant adults at back to school and beyond, visit www.DontFretTheSweat.com.

About Unilever North America

Unilever works to create a better future every day. We help people feel good, look good and get more out of life with brands and services that are good for them and good for others. Each day, around the world, consumers make 160 million decisions to purchase Unilever products. In the United States, Canada and the Greater Caribbean (Trinidad & Tobago, Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico) the portfolio includes brand icons such as: Axe, Becel, Ben & Jerry's, Bertolli, Blue Band, Breyers, Caress, Country Crock, Degree, Dove personal care products, Hellmann's, Klondike, Knorr, Lipton, Omo, Popsicle, Promise, Q-Tips, Skippy, Slim-Fast, Suave, Sunsilk and Vaseline. All of the preceding brand names are registered trademarks of the Unilever Group of Companies. Dedicated to serving consumers and the communities where we live, work and play, Unilever employs more than 13,000 people across North America – generating nearly $10 billion in sales in 2009. For more information, visit www.unileverusa.com.

*About the Tween Confidence Index

In the initial study, KRC Research conducted 1,202 random telephone interviews with U.S. households (including an interview with a mother and a tween between the ages of 8 and 12 in each household), between November 17 and 30, 2009. In a follow up study, KRC Research conducted 501 random telephone interviews with U.S. households (including an interview with a tween between the ages of 8 and 12), between January 28 and February 5, 2010.

About KRC Research

KRC Research is a full-service market research firm. A unit of the Interpublic Group of Companies (NYSE: IPG), KRC Research offers the quality and custom service of a small firm along with the reach of a global organization. For over 30 years, we have worked on behalf of corporations, governments, not-for-profits and the communications firms that represent them. Staffed with market research professionals from the worlds of political campaigns, consumer marketing, journalism and academia, we are flexible, practical, creative, knowledgeable and fast, combining sophisticated research tools with real-world communications experience. To learn more, please visit www.krcresearch.com.

SOURCE Unilever North America