Whether you’re at work in the Summer or at home with the kids, you have probably prepared snacks in their actual thousands by now. And while we consider how long it’ll be until the return of the school run rush will be something of a relief, Gi’s special episode of Happy Mum brings five reminders of how to hang in there - and avoid that dreaded self-comparison in the process.
‘Sometimes the goal isn’t to thrive, it’s simply to get through…’
For actress and mum of two Kiera Knightley, five years of sleep deprivation made her feel like she was “gripping on with fingernails.”
She’s not sure whether this was part of the “comeuppance” foreseen by her Dad, having kept her own parents awake for six years! But her recovery in those weeks and months following induction saw Keira, like so many, balancing the realities of recovery against the expectation of effortless motherhood.
2. ‘The most important thing is finding what works for you and your family without worrying what everyone else thinks…’
Our second reminder comes courtesy of Made In Chelsea veteran Lucy Watson, and her chosen recipient for her Letter On Motherhood:
“I’d write it to me, the judgy bitch that I was,” she told Gi, 13 months after the birth of her baby, when a “different” Lucy started deploying all-new parenting strategies to those she had once stood by.
“You just cannot judge any mum until you’ve been in their position…” she explains, before leaving new mums with her learnings around being open-minded on the approach to motherhood: “…Just don’t set yourself any expectations or boundaries yet. Just give it a minute.”
‘There’s no one-size-fits-all when it comes to family or work…’… something you may well need to hear as you juggle the load this Summer. Gi’s sister-in-law Carrie Hope Fletcher and husband Joel had carefully constructed plans for navigating life as parents in the theatre industry, but the reality was very different.
“Since having a child, I have completely shifted my perspective, because you have to,” Carrie explained in their chat over Christmas. “It naturally happens because they come before everything.”
The sleep deprivation and logistics alongside two prominent lives on stage soon put their best intentions to the test, and so began that all-too-familiar pressure to choose between building a career and building a family.
‘Sometimes letting go of the plan is exactly what everyone needs…’
A perfect mantra midway through the school holidays! And one Eastenders actress Lacey Turner also lives by as a mum of three, having juggled the birth of her third baby with the emotional storyline of one Stacey Slater - and a live episode five weeks later!
Accept the help!
Gi’s final piece of advice for the Summer, and one close pal Emma Willis both witnessed (thanks to Gi’s first postpartum cake-baking and cleaning mission!) and has experienced herself firsthand as a fellow mum of three.
“You want people to think you’re a good mum, right? Because you are a good mum… But actually sometimes you just need to be looked after as well… And it’s really hard to say that out loud and to ask for it sometimes...”
Listen to this special episode in full wherever you get your podcasts from Tuesday, and watch each of our guests’ chats on YouTube.
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