It certainly lasted as the children made their own packed lunches and we all hunted through

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It certainly lasted as the children made their own packed lunches and we all hunted through the overflowing laundry basket for those missing pink ballet tights. My sister's idea of a disaster is a dirty bowl left festering overnight in the sink. So it really should not come as any surprise to discover that most women spend the most amazing amount of time slaving away in the home. But yesterday's report from the Office for National Statistics provided the usual shock to the system. I couldn't believe that every day we women spend an average of 68 minutes cooking, 86 minutes looking after children, 25 minutes doing the washing, 46 minutes shopping and 70 minutes cleaning.After amazement came outrage because, of course, men do nothing like as much unpaid work.

They spend a measly 28 minutes per day in the kitchen, 55 minutes looking after the kids, three minutes doing the washing, 26 minutes shopping and 43 minutes cleaning. Whatever goes on at home in their absence, they need to be as much a part of it as they always were.Shelley Bovey is the author of `The Empty Nest: When Children Leave Home', published by Pandora-Harper Collins, at pounds 8.99.. Yet another report shows that men are still doing far less housework than women. Outrageous, says Ann Treneman, until she realises she doesn't spend 68 minutes a day cooking, 25 minutes doing the washing, 46 minutes shopping and 70 minutes cleaning either My family has clean genes. My grandfather, for instance, was very big on sweeping the street. "No, not clean enough," he would say while inspecting the concrete as us kids lined up on the kerb with our brushes.

My mother remembers this with actual affection as she wipes the kitchen counter for the 100th time that day. It is a rite of passage during which young people establish an identity and a new role. Students do a great deal of growing up at university, especially in the first year. Parents need to be aware that for some time their fledglings will have a foot in both camps and though they may appear independent - indeed may not even come home for vacations - it is not until after graduation that they really strike out on their own.