Picture of junior TIGS students who are taking part in the school's IB program. (Left to right): Katie, Nathaniel, Hasnain, Xia Lian and Isabella .samuel.hall@illawarramercury.com.au
As children head back to school research commissioned by Clarks Australia uncovers some of the tall tales children tell to avoid going to school.
Stomach pains (43 per cent) topped the poll of common excuses reported by mums, followed by head colds and sniffles (23 per cent).
Mystery illnesses (13 per cent) also made the top five excuses, along with the data that one in 10 children want to avoid school because they "dislike a teacher".
The study, based on more than 1000 Australian mothers and their kids, showed that while 54 per cent of parents were aware of their child's "white lies", more than two in five still allowed them to stay at home.
On a more factual note, nearly half (44 per cent) of Aussie mums noticed their kids were cranky after a full day at school and 14 per cent noticed their children suffering from sore feet, blisters or cramped toes.
With more than a third of podiatrists linking both lethargy (42 per cent) and crankiness (38 per cent) to the fit of children's school shoes, it's clear that the correct fit of school shoes can help kids enjoy their time at school more.
Brenden Brown, a practising podiatrist who is a spokesman for the Australasian Podiatry Council said getting the right shoe fit was very important for a child's health.
"Throughout my years of practice, and as a father of two, I've witnessed hundreds of children suffering common ailments, such as clumsiness, lethargy and back pain, which could easily be prevented with correct fitting school shoes," he said. "What most parents don't realise is quite how many hours growing kids spend in their school shoes, making this a really important part of preparing for back-to-school."
Mr Brown says trying to assess the right amount of "growing room" required for school shoes is one of the most common problems parents face.
"Too big can result in clumsiness and too small can lead to cramped toes — both fuelling a child's inactivity in the playground and lack of confidence," Mr Brown said.
■ Details: Visit clarks.com.au.