Seven in 10 parents: Summer hols are the most stressful time of year
WITH the school holidays starting at the end of the month parents across the country are bracing themselves for six stressful weeks.
Whether it is seeing their children dossing about or snacking constantly while on video games, more than seven in ten British parents say the summer holidays are the most stressful time of the year.
According to a new survey having children at home for the summer also sees bills rocket by more than £175 with screen time being blamed by mums and dads.
To soften the blow more than two thirds save throughout the year, with nearly half relying on cashback deals to manage the costs.
When 2,000 parents were asked by Utility Warehouse, nearly half agreed hearing their children say ‘I am bored’ repeatedly drove them round the twist.
More than a third added that seeing wrappers left all over the house irritated them.
Parents yearn for a simple household balance with their children agreeing to help out more if they are going to spend considerably more time indoors
It is the little things which go a long way such as switching the lights off, tidying up and keeping noise volumes at a reasonable level, the study found.
Brace yourselves parents: The summer holidays are the most stressful time of the year
Nearly two thirds of parents tell their children to switch things off, while 44% actively tell them to cut back on their energy use – issuing those reminders an average of nine times a week.
Dr Becky Spelman, a Psychologist and Founder of Private Therapy Clinic, advises that the best way forward is to compromise and communicate.
She said: ‘Teenagers may push back against control, but they are often more reasonable when they understand the practical impact on the household. Keep the conversation short, avoid lectures, and agree consequences that are realistic.
‘Parents should not expect a perfectly tidy, perfectly quiet summer. That will only create more tension. Aim for a workable household rhythm where teenagers have freedom, but also understand that being at home all day means contributing to the home.’
To help parents Dr Becky has devised some easy suggestions to manage any household tensions.
These include agreeing specific rules from the start for example spelling out that the taps need to be turned off or the bins taken out.
Giving older children more control over what chores they do also helps avoid rows.
David Walter, of Utility Warehouse, sympathised with parents worrying about bills increasing because of the holidays.
He said: ‘Parents tell us they just want a simple way to stay on top of the household admin.’
To help keep costs down families should look into streamlining their bills and buying a smart meter, Mr Walter added.
Is France the Best Team at This World Cup or Is It Yet to Be Properly Tested?
Is France the Best Team at This World Cup or Is It Yet to Be Properly Tested?
France has blown opponents away at this tournament, becoming the first team to score three or more goals in five straight World Cup matches.Conor Orr|
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — Truly the stuff of fever dreams over here in section 225 along the stadium’s north side. Pass the man in the tight striped shirt wearing a red beret and holding a fake plastic baguette and you turn the corner to find a pair of men dressed as mimes. They are waving a French flag to fan a young supporter of Les Bleus who has overheated and is slumped down in a chair as security forms a wall around him to cool down.
Around the corner comes Max, an athletically built male of about 5’10” who is dripping sweat beneath what looks like a heavy, non-breathable blonde wig decorated in a kind of braided pigtail. He’s wearing a traditional Swedish dress for Midsommar atop shin guards, soccer socks and tennis shoes. Follow him through the concourse and onto the patio, and you’ve arrived at Camp Sweden.
The fan section of Swedish football—which also cleverly featured fans wearing yellow shirts with the word IKEA written on them—was paltry in size to the overwhelming number of French supporters here among the 83,000 attendants in New Jersey, but for the first 40 minutes, the chants of ‘Allez, Allez, Allez’ (‘Onward Sweden’) did not relent.
Max said Swedish fans took pride in their FIFA ranking for kindness, but when informed that France were heavy favorites, his eyes narrowed and he assumed a joking fighter’s posture. When asked if he believed, as Sweden seemed to escape one piercing attempt on goal after another (including a 19th-minute goal by Kylian Mbappe that was called back upon review) by the blistering French attack over the course of the first 40 minutes, he smiled.
“Of course I do,” he says. “I f—- flew here.”
France and Kylian Mbappé Take Charge
Of course, in rapid succession just before halftime, just after halftime and a third time at the 73rd minute, France eventually honed its eye for the goal and obliterated any chance of a stunning upset. Gone were the scattershot follows, the moments where Les Bleus’ incredible strikers were slapping their heads in frustration.
Kylian Mbappé sliced between two defenders and pounded the ball in the far side of the net. Bradley Barcola slipped between a pair of Swedish defenders, took a quick touch and scored again. Then Mbappé, one last time, punched the ball to the far corner of the net, just off the outstretched hand of Sweden's keeper, Jacob Widell Zetterström. After the last one Mbappé found an open swath of space and skied into the air, a bit like a toddler pretending he was a rocket ship blasting off to the moon.
Outside of the confidence that momentarily reverberated from Camp Sweden, though, the eventual 3-0 result was heavily expected. France became the first team in World Cup history to score three or more goals in five straight matches, though those matches were against some of the Cup’s lowliest opponents: A lukewarm Senegal, Iraq and a second-string Norway, none of which are in the FIFA top 15 World Rankings (Iraq hovers in the mid 60s). Sweden was in organizational tatters leading into the World Cup as well.
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Just How Good is This France Team?
It brings up the important question, as France advances to play Paraguay (another team outside of the Top 30 in FIFA World Rankings, though riding high after a stunning upset over Germany in the opening round) in the second stage of the knockout tournament: Are we responsible for believing what our eyes tell us to believe? Or, is it merely another victory over a small, bright-eyed, understaffed army like we saw in Camp Sweden?
“We knew we had to be perfect,” Graham Potter, Sweden’s manager said afterward, noting that, even if Sweden was perfect, it may not have been enough. “We needed a couple of miracles.”
When asked if he thought any team could beat France, he said: “Of course, it’s football, anything is possible, but I haven’t personally seen a better team.”
As Mbappé was subbed off in the 86th minute, France manager Didier Deschamps stretched out his arms and bowed several times, welcoming the 27-year-old star to the bench. Mbappé has now played in 18 World Cup games and has scored 18 goals. He is now the lone record holder, passing Ronaldo and Leonidas, for the most goals ever scored in the knockout stage of the World Cup (10).
What France Does to Opponents
French soccer, at this very moment, is the picture of versatility, with an amoebic attack that is grounded in a concept that is simple theoretically but almost impossible to achieve in real time: Make yourselves fluid enough to empower your goalscorers. France has dominated by mastering width, drawing double teams at both ends of the pitch and thinning out defenses that still cannot manage to bracket the team’s fleet of strikers. Even with quarterly hydration breaks, the tiring effect this has on defenders is debilitating.
They are also appropriately dominant. Before Mbappé’s first goal, he made a backward no-look pass to Ousmane Dembélé that looked more like a dance step (the pair have more mutual assists for one another than any tandem dating back more than 50 years). Every part of his facial expression suggested that he planned for the moment to go viral. France possessed the ball more than 60% of the game and had a shot advantage of 12-3.
Les Bleus appear comfortable enough, then, to sidestep the question of opponent quality. Deschamps admitted that “for us, it wasn’t that difficult” to reach the round of 16 but cautioned a reporter who mentioned the cementing confidence among French fans and journalists.
“Slow down, please,” he said. “There are issues, there’s always room for improvement.”
READ THE LATEST WORLD CUP NEWS, ANALYSIS AND INSIGHT FROM SI FC
Published 2 hours ago | Modified 17 minutes ago
CONOR ORRConor Orr is a Senior Writer for Sports Illustrated with more than 15 years of experience covering the NFL. His work has been cited in Best American Sportswriting and has won a PFWAA award. Prior to Sports Illustrated, he covered both the Giants and Jets for The Star-Ledger. Conor lives in New Jersey with his amazing wife and three children.
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USA vs. Bosnia & Herzegovina Prediction, Odds, Best Prop Bet for World Cup Round of 32
USA vs. Bosnia & Herzegovina Prediction, Odds, Best Prop Bet for World Cup Round of 32
Iain MacMillan|
The prime time Round of 32 matchup on Wednesday will feature the co-host, the United States, taking on Bosnia & Herzegovina with a spot in the Round of 16 on the line.
The United States won Group D, while Bosnia & Herzegovina managed to advance as a No. 3 seed in Group B. Is there any chance of an upset on Wednesday night? Let's find out what the oddsmakers think.
USA vs. Bosnia & Herzegovina Odds and Total
To Advance
- USA -750 (88.24% implied probability)
- Bosnia & Herzegovina +500
3-Way Moneyline
- USA -290
- Bosnia & Herzegovina +800
- Draw +400
Total
- OVER 2.5 (-118)
- UNDER 2.5 (-104)
USA vs. Bosnia & Herzegovina How to Watch
- Date: Wednesday, July 1
- Time: 8:00 p.m. ET
- Venue: San Francisco Stadium
- How to Watch (TV): Fox/Tele/Fox One
- USA record: 2-1-0
- Bosnia & Herzegovina record: 1-1-1
USA vs. Bosnia & Herzegovina History and Tournament Results
These two countries have faced each other three times before. All three matches were international friendlies, with the USA going 2-1-0 in them. The most recent match was a 1-0 victory for the United States in 2021.
United States
The United States began its tournament by beating Paraguay 4-1 and Australia 2-0. With the group already locked up, they rested some players against Turkiye, leading to a 3-2 loss.
Bosnia & Herzegovina
Bosnia & Herzegovina played to a 1-1 draw against Canada to open its tournament. They then lost 4-1 to Switzerland, but wrapped up their group stage by beating Qatar 3-1 to secure a spot in the Round of 32.
United States vs. Bosnia & Herzegovina Best Prop Bet
- Folarin Balogun Anytime Goal (+120)
In today's edition of my Best World Cup Goal Scorer Bets Today, I made the case for betting on Folarin Balogun to score:
Folarin Balogun leads all of the United States in expected goals through the group stage portion of the World Cup at 1.78. His seven shots also lead all United States players. The USMNT has a favorable matchup ahead of them in Bosnia & Herzegovina, so I wouldn't be surprised to see them score multiple goals, with Balogun getting at least one.
United States vs. Bosnia & Herzegovina Prediction and Pick
In the July 1 edition of Best World Cup Bets Today, I broke down why I'm betting on the United States to win by 2+ goals:
Bosnia & Herzegovina played in one of the weakest groups in the tournament, and while four points were enough for them to advance, a -0.45 expected goal differential per 90 minutes after games against Switzerland, Canada, and Qatar. Now, they have to face arguably the best team they've had to play against yet. The United States is going to come out firing, and currently have an expected goal differential of +0.86 per 90 minutes. I'm willing to bet on the United States proving they're a step above Bosnia & Herzegovina on Wednesday.
Pick: USA -1.5 (+104) via FanDuel
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Published 2 hours ago | Modified 2 hours ago
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IAIN MACMILLANOriginally from Nova Scotia, Iain MacMillan is a senior editor covering betting, with a focus on NFL, NHL, and golf. He hosts the Bacon Bets Podcast and has been featured on VSIN, BetQL and Monumental Sports Network. He is a member of the Metropolitan Golf Writers Association and his beloved Falcons and Maple Leafs break his heart on a yearly basis.
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