Inside Parliament: Fabio D’Andrea and Peter Andre warn of the hidden dangers of kids’ smartphones and social media – Another Way
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Interview with Mother Pukka AKA Anna Whitehouse
__________________________________
54,000 women every year are locked out of the workforce for daring to have a baby
The inspirational Anna Whitehouse aka Mother Pukka is a Mum of two, soon to be three girls, a writer, podcast host, campaigner for flexible working and founder of Flex Appeal.
Anna is formidable in her pursuit for equality in the workplace, fuelled by her passion to ensure that her girls, or any girls, don’t face a future where you can have your career snatched away from you just because you dared to have a baby; sadly this is something that Anna experienced first hand.
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Interview with Mother PUKKA AKA ANNA Whitehouse
__________________________________
54,000 women every year are locked out of the workforce for daring to have a baby
The inspirational Anna Whitehouse aka Mother Pukka is a Mum of two, soon to be three girls, a writer, podcast host, campaigner for flexible working and founder of Flex Appeal.
Anna is formidable in her pursuit for equality in the workplace, fuelled by her passion to ensure that her girls, or any girls, don’t face a future where you can have your career snatched away from you just because you dared to have a baby; sadly this is something that Anna experienced first hand.
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Lord John Nash and Joe Powell MP on Wednesday 9th July hosted a parliamentary
screening of award-winning composer Fabio D’Andrea’s film
‘Another Way’. The film featured the singer Peter Andre, who spoke at the screening and the event to raise
awareness of the danger, by illustrating the devastating
impact of bullying and youth suicide.” _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” custom_margin=”||7px|||” custom_padding=”15px|13px||13px||” hover_enabled=”0″ global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content” sticky_enabled=”0″][/et_pb_image][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” custom_margin=”|9px|7px|||” custom_padding=”|10px|9px|10px||” hover_enabled=”0″ global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content” sticky_enabled=”0″]
[/et_pb_text][et_pb_image src=”https://broodmagazine.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Parliamentary-event-20-scaled.webp” alt=”Mark Saxby, Dr Emily Andre, Peter Andre, Fabio D’Andrea, Joe Powell MP, Teresa Parker, Deborah Morel, Lolo Stubbs
Fabio D’Andrea and Peter Andre highlight the dangers of smartphones and social media for children” title_text=”Parliamentary film screening warns of dangers of teen smartphone use
Lord John Nash and Joe Powell MP on Wednesday 9th July hosted a parliamentary
screening of award-winning composer Fabio D’Andrea’s film
‘Another Way’. The film featured the singer Peter Andre, who spoke at the screening and the event to raise
awareness of the danger, by illustrating the devastating
impact of bullying and youth suicide.” _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” custom_margin=”||7px|||” custom_padding=”7px|13px||13px||” hover_enabled=”0″ global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content” sticky_enabled=”0″][/et_pb_image][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” custom_margin=”|9px|7px|||” custom_padding=”|10px|9px|10px||” hover_enabled=”0″ global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content” sticky_enabled=”0″]
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Anna’s unwavering passion, eloquence, honesty and relentless campaigning have led her to gain a loyal following that amasses over 400k on Instagram alone. Anna is admired and appreciated by so many parents far and wide for being a much-needed voice around flexible working, childcare costs, and maternity and paternity packages. We sat down with Anna to discuss the challenges she has faced since becoming a parent and why this time around she’s not going to return to work with any apologies.
At what point in your career did you first become a parent? And how did you find that transition?
Anna: “I first became a parent just as my career was really taking off. I think this happens with a lot of women actually; you’re at that junction where your career is going like this, %91Anna gestures an upward movement%93 and then suddenly you have a baby %91she meets and connects the other hand%93 and it kind of cuts you off a bit. And this is not because of a lack of your own enthusiasm, your own experience or your own brilliance, but because of the ceiling that the world of discrimination puts upon us mothers. So yeah, my eldest came along as I was rising %91up%93, I then just hit a complete wall.
Where did your inspiration for ‘Mother Pukka’ come from?
Anna: “Mother Pukka came from a really primal, visceral, maternal, angry place. That’s why it was quite blue at first. It was Mother something else! %91She laughs%93 So it was watered down and became Mother Pukka. But initially, it came from a place of just ‘hacked-off-ness’. I’d seen so many baby magazines and so many articles that were aimed at parents, all of them talking about what nipple teat to have and what ‘bugaboo’ to get, and what nappy changing bag worked, but no one was talking about the motherhood penalty. No one was talking about the lack of flexible working for parents. No one was talking about the quiet swathes of women who are disappearing from the workforce just because they assumed that’s what needed to happen because of the status quo. And so mother pukka, just came from this place of frustration that I’d had my flexible working request denied for really vague reasons.
Like ‘it would open the floodgates for other people to have flexible working!?’ And I was like, I’m sorry, let’s open the floodgates because people are drowning behind them! Specifically mothers – 54,000 mothers every year are discriminated against. So, yeah, that’s where it %91Mother Pukka%93 came from.”
At what point in your career did you first become a parent? And how did you find that transition?
Anna: “I first became a parent just as my career was really taking off. I think this happens with a lot of women actually; you’re at that junction where your career is going like this, %91Anna gestures an upward movement%93 and then suddenly you have a baby %91she meets and connects the other hand%93 and it kind of cuts you off a bit. And this is not because of a lack of your own enthusiasm, your own experience or your own brilliance, but because of the ceiling that the world of discrimination puts upon us mothers. So yeah, my eldest came along as I was rising %91up%93, I then just hit a complete wall.
Where did your inspiration for ‘Mother Pukka’ come from?
Anna: “Mother Pukka came from a really primal, visceral, maternal, angry place. That’s why it was quite blue at first. It was Mother something else! %91She laughs%93 So it was watered down and became Mother Pukka. But initially, it came from a place of just ‘hacked-off-ness’. I’d seen so many baby magazines and so many articles that were aimed at parents, all of them talking about what nipple teat to have and what ‘bugaboo’ to get, and what nappy changing bag worked, but no one was talking about the motherhood penalty. No one was talking about the lack of flexible working for parents. No one was talking about the quiet swathes of women who are disappearing from the workforce just because they assumed that’s what needed to happen because of the status quo. And so mother pukka, just came from this place of frustration that I’d had my flexible working request denied for really vague reasons.
Like ‘it would open the floodgates for other people to have flexible working!?’ And I was like, I’m sorry, let’s open the floodgates because people are drowning behind them! Specifically mothers – 54,000 mothers every year are discriminated against. So, yeah, that’s where it %91Mother Pukka%93 came from.”
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“Another Way grew from my concern about the growing impact of technology on young people. I wanted to tell that story through music and film in a way that feels relatable and truthful”
– Fabio D’Andrea
Another Way
Fabio D’Andrea
Fabio, what inspired you to create the film Another Way, and how do you hope it will impact the conversation around teen smartphone use and cyberbullying?
The inspiration for much of my music is rooted in day-to-day life—both its beauty and its hidden struggles. Another Way grew from my concern about the growing impact of technology on young people. I wanted to tell that story through music and film in a way that feels relatable and truthful. I’m proud that the video has already resonated across the political spectrum—being supported by MP Joe Powell, Lord Nash and Baroness Stroud—which shows how universal and urgent this issue is. My hope is that Another Way sparks more open conversations, not only in Parliament but also in schools and families, helping young people make better choices about how they use technology and how they treat one another online.
Fabio, your films often highlight key social issues, such as domestic abuse, mental health, and multiple sclerosis. What drives your passion for using your platform to raise awareness about these topics?
I’ve always believed that music is a powerful medium for storytelling. Composers throughout history have used their work to reflect the world around them, and I try to continue that tradition. Speaking to families who have lived through issues like domestic abuse or illness has shown me how deeply art can connect with lived experience. That’s what motivates me—the chance to give a voice to those stories and, hopefully, to foster understanding and change.
What do you hope will be the outcome of the parliamentary screening of Another Way, and what steps do you believe need to be taken to address the issues of teen smartphone use and cyberbullying?
The first step is awareness. Lord Nash’s recent bill amendment is an important move in the right direction, and I’m encouraged that many voices are asking for Another Way to be shown in schools and colleges. I would love to see that expanded much further. The real solution lies in education and dialogue—equipping children with the tools to make wiser decisions online, and ensuring parents and teachers feel empowered to guide them. Change won’t come from legislation alone; it will come from building a culture where respect and responsibility extend into the digital world.
Peter Andre
Peter, why was it so important for you to be a part of this film and did the fact that you have children of your own make this project even more important to you?
“As soon as I was aware of this project, I wanted to do it. Working with Fabio and playing Jack has been incredible, although tougher emotionally than I had predicted. I know there are many different families out there and different scenarios, and of course, anyone can have mental health problems. In teenage years, it can feel difficult to talk, and I know that as I’ve experienced it myself, but there are now the extra pressures of smartphones and social media. As a dad, this is something I am really aware of, and want to let teenagers know they are not alone.”
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SPONSORED CONTENT:
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Lord John Nash and Joe Powell MP on Wednesday 9th July hosted a parliamentary
screening of award-winning composer Fabio D’Andrea’s film
‘Another Way’. The film featured the singer Peter Andre, who spoke at the screening and the event to raise
awareness of the danger, by illustrating the devastating
impact of bullying and youth suicide.” _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” hover_enabled=”0″ global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content” sticky_enabled=”0″][/et_pb_image][et_pb_text content_tablet=”
“…My daughter initially said to me, ‘Mummy, sometimes I think you don’t like me very much when you’re on the phone.”
What has been the most challenging time in your life since having to juggle both work and parenthood?
Anna: “I think this is probably something every one of your readers has gone through. Regardless of whether you are, I hate the term stay-at-home-mum because no parent stays at home, you’re out doing things all the time and everyone’s a full time mum. I think it’s really offensive when you hear, I’m a full time mum. Well no actually, I’m a full time mum too. Everyone’s a full time mum because even when you’re working, you’re still carrying the weight of parenting at the same time, That’s why it’s heavy for us all at times. The administration of that %91parenting%93. You’re carrying your child from birth to primary school even at secondary school and beyond. I think a lot of your readers would probably relate here, regardless of, if you’re a ‘stay-at-home mum’ or, you know, you work, in an office or away… when that moment where your child says ‘Mummy, why are you on your phone?’ And there’s this moment that happens, in every single parent’s day where you’re caught between everything you need to do and just being with your child. My daughter initially said to me, ‘mummy, sometimes I think you don’t like me very much when you’re on the phone.’ And it broke me. So that is the kind of thing that is challenging. It’s trying to mentally balance the love I have for them, knowing that my heart is with them, but my head is with my mortgage, with the things I need to add structure to their lives, safety, security and recognising that is also love for them. And I’m actually split in the middle and I think that our phones are quite representative of that split, that divide, that tension. Because what parent hasn’t said to their child. ‘Just a minute, just a minute.’ And then they look at you and they say, ‘has it been a minute yet.’ And you’re like, ‘just a second’ and then they’ll ask ‘Is it a second yet?.’ Then you can feel yourself rising and you feel that feeling in your chest, because what you’re trying to do is answer an email or message or a client request in the middle of maybe cooking their dinner, or do one of the thousand other things that need doing. You can then get to a point where you lose it. And I lost it the other day, I said ‘if you don’t stop fighting (over some toy that neither of them cared about) …if you don’t stop doing that, Mum is going to lose her temperature!’ And as I said temperature, they just burst out laughing. %91She laughs%93 But that’s kind of how it feels. You’re kind of like a kettle boiling. And as you do lose your temperature, you lose your temper, you lose your marbles, you lose your mind! You know, there’s so much loss in motherhood. There’s loss of hair. There’s a loss of glow. You know, you go from pregnant to not pregnant. There’s lots of skin that used to be firm and isn’t anymore. There’s loss of self. There’s loss of conversation etc. But in all of that, in the fragments of that loss, you find yourself. The best bit of standing in the middle of what can seem like rubble is looking at my two little girls and thinking, ‘I get to be your mother, I get to be your parent.” But yes, all that extra pressure that comes with being a mum I would say probably remains the most challenging job Mother Nature could ever bestow %91she laughs.%93”
And to end on a high note, what has been the highlight of your career so far?”
Anna: “I think the highlight of my career is actually, moments with my two girls. I’m really trying to carve that time out. I think it’s really easy to go to kind of accolades or moments or legislation or, you know, maybe hosting something or quite big tangible things, but the biggest thing for me is reclaiming time with them. That’s my success story. Time that I know a more archaic employer would have taken from me. So I think it’s probably sitting on the sofa on a Sunday morning, when we’re all in our PJs, whilst they eat Cheerios and you end up with one in your bra stuck to you. Those moments where they are snuggled up with you, and you can feel the warmth of their little bodies, whilst watching some inane cartoon; those are the moments you live for.
If I was going to say on a tangible level, it would be changing the law of flexible working. The flexible working bill that came into effect in April of this year. I didn’t do it on my own though, there were a hell of a lot of other organisations involved in that. But the reason that matters is because it’s something where I can say to my little girls, I did that because I’m not letting you go through what I went through. %91Anna voice quivers and her eyes fill with tears%93 I’m not letting you go through that. I just couldn’t. I couldn’t watch them go do their ABCs, and then their GCSEs and their A-levels and maybe get that first job. You know when you get a phone on a computer. Going from the excitement of that to then having someone take it away. I’m not letting them go through that. That’s what happened to me and it’s certainly not happening to this one %91She rubs her stomach%93 So yeah, I think it’s to change the structure of the world that has written us, as little girls, off!”
You can follow the inspirational Anna Whitehouse on Instagram @Mother_Pukka or visit her website: www.motherpukka.co.uk/
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“…My daughter initially said to me, ‘Mummy, sometimes I think you don’t like me very much when you’re on the phone.”
What has been the most challenging time in your life since having to juggle both work and parenthood?
Anna: “I think this is probably something every one of your readers has gone through. Regardless of whether you are, I hate the term stay-at-home-mum because no parent stays at home, you’re out doing things all the time and everyone’s a full time mum. I think it’s really offensive when you hear, I’m a full time mum. Well no actually, I’m a full time mum too. Everyone’s a full time mum because even when you’re working, you’re still carrying the weight of parenting at the same time, That’s why it’s heavy for us all at times. The administration of that %91parenting%93. You’re carrying your child from birth to primary school even at secondary school and beyond. I think a lot of your readers would probably relate here, regardless of, if you’re a ‘stay-at-home mum’ or, you know, you work, in an office or away… when that moment where your child says ‘Mummy, why are you on your phone?’ And there’s this moment that happens, in every single parent’s day where you’re caught between everything you need to do and just being with your child. My daughter initially said to me, ‘mummy, sometimes I think you don’t like me very much when you’re on the phone.’ And it broke me. So that is the kind of thing that is challenging. It’s trying to mentally balance the love I have for them, knowing that my heart is with them, but my head is with my mortgage, with the things I need to add structure to their lives, safety, security and recognising that is also love for them. And I’m actually split in the middle and I think that our phones are quite representative of that split, that divide, that tension. Because what parent hasn’t said to their child. ‘Just a minute, just a minute.’ And then they look at you and they say, ‘has it been a minute yet.’ And you’re like, ‘just a second’ and then they’ll ask ‘Is it a second yet?.’ Then you can feel yourself rising and you feel that feeling in your chest, because what you’re trying to do is answer an email or message or a client request in the middle of maybe cooking their dinner, or do one of the thousand other things that need doing. You can then get to a point where you lose it. And I lost it the other day, I said ‘if you don’t stop fighting (over some toy that neither of them cared about) …if you don’t stop doing that, Mum is going to lose her temperature!’ And as I said temperature, they just burst out laughing. %91She laughs%93 But that’s kind of how it feels. You’re kind of like a kettle boiling. And as you do lose your temperature, you lose your temper, you lose your marbles, you lose your mind! You know, there’s so much loss in motherhood. There’s loss of hair. There’s a loss of glow. You know, you go from pregnant to not pregnant. There’s lots of skin that used to be firm and isn’t anymore. There’s loss of self. There’s loss of conversation etc. But in all of that, in the fragments of that loss, you find yourself. The best bit of standing in the middle of what can seem like rubble is looking at my two little girls and thinking, ‘I get to be your mother, I get to be your parent.” But yes, all that extra pressure that comes with being a mum I would say probably remains the most challenging job Mother Nature could ever bestow %91she laughs.%93”
And to end on a high note, what has been the highlight of your career so far?”
Anna: “I think the highlight of my career is actually, moments with my two girls. I’m really trying to carve that time out. I think it’s really easy to go to kind of accolades or moments or legislation or, you know, maybe hosting something or quite big tangible things, but the biggest thing for me is reclaiming time with them. That’s my success story. Time that I know a more archaic employer would have taken from me. So I think it’s probably sitting on the sofa on a Sunday morning, when we’re all in our PJs, whilst they eat Cheerios and you end up with one in your bra stuck to you. Those moments where they are snuggled up with you, and you can feel the warmth of their little bodies, whilst watching some inane cartoon; those are the moments you live for.
If I was going to say on a tangible level, it would be changing the law of flexible working. The flexible working bill that came into effect in April of this year. I didn’t do it on my own though, there were a hell of a lot of other organisations involved in that. But the reason that matters is because it’s something where I can say to my little girls, I did that because I’m not letting you go through what I went through. %91Anna voice quivers and her eyes fill with tears%93 I’m not letting you go through that. I just couldn’t. I couldn’t watch them go do their ABCs, and then their GCSEs and their A-levels and maybe get that first job. You know when you get a phone on a computer. Going from the excitement of that to then having someone take it away. I’m not letting them go through that. That’s what happened to me and it’s certainly not happening to this one %91She rubs her stomach%93 So yeah, I think it’s to change the structure of the world that has written us, as little girls, off!”
You can follow the inspirational Anna Whitehouse on Instagram @Mother_Pukka or visit her website: www.motherpukka.co.uk/
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“In teenage years, it can feel difficult to talk, and I know that as I’ve experienced it myself, but there are now the extra pressures of smartphones and social media. As a dad, this is something I am really aware of, and want to let teenagers know they are not alone.”
— Peter Andre
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You’ve recently posted, I’m not sorry, where you mentioned that when you returned to work after having your first two children, you returned almost ‘smaller’ and quite apologetic. You have shared your understandable frustrations around that. How different will the experience be for you this time around? Do you feel stronger than you did previously?
Anna: “I’m just not taking it anymore, you know. %91Anna talks passionately%93 I think things have and are changing; it’s not a case of employers changing things, I think women are changing things because we’re 50% of the population and we’re just saying ‘No!’. We’re saying, ‘No, call my daughter’s father as well as me when she’s in nursery!’ (And that’s nothing against the amazing key workers who work with our children.) But the expectation, the bulk of childcare, is still strapped firmly to female shoulders. It’s not that we’re fighting some revolution. It’s evolution. That’s the difference. And I think people see that, with the work I do, the work the ‘Pregnant Then Screwed’ group does, the work that the Fawcett Society does – all these amazing organisations shine a light on this. People say to me ‘Oh my God, this is big what you’re all doing!’ and I’m like, no, it’s what it should have been there in the first place! That’s what equality is. It’s rebalancing a system that is structured and built for women, specifically mothers to fail. So I am not apologising anymore for a system that is set up for me, for my daughters, for my daughter’s-daughter’s to fail. It’s not my fault. It’s not your fault. and it needs fixing!”
Is it that personal experience that inspired you to start Flex Appeal? (The campaign for more flexible working for everyone)
Anna: “I think when I started speaking about the other side of the motherhood story, which wasn’t just about what maternity bag to buy or, ‘how to pack your hospital bag.’ It was about the real-time frustrations around giving up, not just work, but your purpose, of yourself, the expectation that you just step back. I decided, actually, do you know what this needs? Governmental change. This needs structural change. So that is when I launched Flex Appeal, which was our lobbying body/platform/organisation for the exhausted women in the street shouting, ‘ I don’t care what you want to call me %91for being me%93!’ It’s that drive to change not just the narrative, but legislation. I just thought, there’s no way through this unless legislation changes for men and women. And I think that’s the big point here. This isn’t just about mums. This is about parents! It’s about dads who are just desperately frustrated that their employer won’t enable them to work flexibly because it’s seen as a ‘her-in-doors’ job still.
I say, the unconscious bias, but it’s a conscious bias that sits right there. So I needed a campaign to hook this on. That would have me, my little daughter at the time, my second daughter, and maybe this one now %91she points to her unborn child%93 knocking on the doors of Whitehall and just saying, what are you doing about the 54,000 women every year that are locked out of the workforce for daring to have a baby? Like, that’s a ridiculous amount. And that doesn’t even include gagging orders, NDA’s, etc, so you could probably quadruple that number you know.”
After 10 years of campaignin, how are you feeling now that it was recently announced the current government has decided to start the ball rolling? And how long do you think it will take to be implemented?
Yeah. Three babies, one decade, and one campaign %91she laughs.%93 I will say the proof is in the pudding because there’ve been so many governmental, political promises and until it actually happens, I don’t and I won’t believe it. So in some ways I’m taking it with a pinch of salt.
It’s quite monumental, but until flexible working is by default, that it is just assumed across the board instead of fought for, the onus is still on the employees. Until that structure changes, I won’t see any level of success. But what I would love to see, before that time is don’t wait for the laws to change if you’re an employer. Don’t take the stick approach, take the carrot approach. Why aren’t you thinking about how you can retain this brilliant talent? You’re not doing us a favour. We’re great. We’re talented. You’re cutting us out at our prime when we know so much and then you have to get somebody else in and %91have to%93 train them up. So it’s about businesses too really. I want to see cultural change. I want to see. For example a dad messaged me, and he told me that he had put his request flexible in and it was rejected on the basis that they said, ‘Can’t your ‘missus’ do that?’ That was in 2023? %91she sighs in disbelief and goes onto answer the question herself…%93 ‘You know what, No. His ‘missus’ might be working elsewhere, or might be a brain surgeon, or you know, might be doing something else. So no, the assumption that ‘her-in-doors,’ ‘ya missus,’ ‘the mum’, the ‘primary caregiver’ should automatically pick up that childcare slack, is so inherently wrong. So I want to see a cultural change around that employer going, yes, absolutely, pick up your daughter from nursery because of the old hapless dad trope, you know, ‘daddy daycare’ or ‘babysitting my children.’ any of that – we’re done with it! Like you’re parenting. I think that it’s language like that that we need to start using: parenting, parental leave, not just maternity leave. Lets unite the two sides of the procreation coin. It takes two to tango. So you know there won’t be equality unless we recognise those two sides.
” content_phone=”
You’ve recently posted, I’m not sorry, where you mentioned that when you returned to work after having your first two children, you returned almost ‘smaller’ and quite apologetic. You have shared your understandable frustrations around that. How different will the experience be for you this time around? Do you feel stronger than you did previously?
Anna: “I’m just not taking it anymore, you know. %91Anna talks passionately%93 I think things have and are changing; it’s not a case of employers changing things, I think women are changing things because we’re 50% of the population and we’re just saying ‘No!’. We’re saying, ‘No, call my daughter’s father as well as me when she’s in nursery!’ (And that’s nothing against the amazing key workers who work with our children.) But the expectation, the bulk of childcare, is still strapped firmly to female shoulders. It’s not that we’re fighting some revolution. It’s evolution. That’s the difference. And I think people see that, with the work I do, the work the ‘Pregnant Then Screwed’ group does, the work that the Fawcett Society does – all these amazing organisations shine a light on this. People say to me ‘Oh my God, this is big what you’re all doing!’ and I’m like, no, it’s what it should have been there in the first place! That’s what equality is. It’s rebalancing a system that is structured and built for women, specifically mothers to fail. So I am not apologising anymore for a system that is set up for me, for my daughters, for my daughter’s-daughter’s to fail. It’s not my fault. It’s not your fault. and it needs fixing!”
Is it that personal experience that inspired you to start Flex Appeal? (The campaign for more flexible working for everyone)
Anna: “I think when I started speaking about the other side of the motherhood story, which wasn’t just about what maternity bag to buy or, ‘how to pack your hospital bag.’ It was about the real-time frustrations around giving up, not just work, but your purpose, of yourself, the expectation that you just step back. I decided, actually, do you know what this needs? Governmental change. This needs structural change. So that is when I launched Flex Appeal, which was our lobbying body/platform/organisation for the exhausted women in the street shouting, ‘ I don’t care what you want to call me %91for being me%93!’ It’s that drive to change not just the narrative, but legislation. I just thought, there’s no way through this unless legislation changes for men and women. And I think that’s the big point here. This isn’t just about mums. This is about parents! It’s about dads who are just desperately frustrated that their employer won’t enable them to work flexibly because it’s seen as a ‘her-in-doors’ job still.
I say, the unconscious bias, but it’s a conscious bias that sits right there. So I needed a campaign to hook this on. That would have me, my little daughter at the time, my second daughter, and maybe this one now %91she points to her unborn child%93 knocking on the doors of Whitehall and just saying, what are you doing about the 54,000 women every year that are locked out of the workforce for daring to have a baby? Like, that’s a ridiculous amount. And that doesn’t even include gagging orders, NDA’s, etc, so you could probably quadruple that number you know.”
After 10 years of campaignin, how are you feeling now that it was recently announced the current government has decided to start the ball rolling? And how long do you think it will take to be implemented?
Yeah. Three babies, one decade, and one campaign %91she laughs.%93 I will say the proof is in the pudding because there’ve been so many governmental, political promises and until it actually happens, I don’t and I won’t believe it. So in some ways I’m taking it with a pinch of salt.
It’s quite monumental, but until flexible working is by default, that it is just assumed across the board instead of fought for, the onus is still on the employees. Until that structure changes, I won’t see any level of success. But what I would love to see, before that time is don’t wait for the laws to change if you’re an employer. Don’t take the stick approach, take the carrot approach. Why aren’t you thinking about how you can retain this brilliant talent? You’re not doing us a favour. We’re great. We’re talented. You’re cutting us out at our prime when we know so much and then you have to get somebody else in and %91have to%93 train them up. So it’s about businesses too really. I want to see cultural change. I want to see. For example a dad messaged me, and he told me that he had put his request flexible in and it was rejected on the basis that they said, ‘Can’t your ‘missus’ do that?’ That was in 2023? %91she sighs in disbelief and goes onto answer the question herself…%93 ‘You know what, No. His ‘missus’ might be working elsewhere, or might be a brain surgeon, or you know, might be doing something else. So no, the assumption that ‘her-in-doors,’ ‘ya missus,’ ‘the mum’, the ‘primary caregiver’ should automatically pick up that childcare slack, is so inherently wrong. So I want to see a cultural change around that employer going, yes, absolutely, pick up your daughter from nursery because of the old hapless dad trope, you know, ‘daddy daycare’ or ‘babysitting my children.’ any of that – we’re done with it! Like you’re parenting. I think that it’s language like that that we need to start using: parenting, parental leave, not just maternity leave. Lets unite the two sides of the procreation coin. It takes two to tango. So you know there won’t be equality unless we recognise those two sides.
” content_last_edited=”off|desktop” _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” custom_padding=”15px|29px|30px|29px||” hover_enabled=”0″ global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content” sticky_enabled=”0″]
Joe Powell MP
Joe Powell MP, as the Member of Parliament for Kensington & Bayswater, and a father yourself, how important was hosting this event to you, and using your position as an MP to raise further awareness around this subject?
“I am very proud to have hosted this important event with Lord Nash. To bring together a key group of people, along with Fabio, who will be able to raise vital awareness of this issue and influence those who need to take action. Yes, we need government regulation, but we also need social media platforms to step up and take responsibility for the reality of what their profit-making products are doing to the mental health of our young people. Their success comes with responsibilities, and we need to see action from everyone on this important issue.”
“…we need government regulation, but we also need social media platforms to step up and take responsibility for the reality of what their profit-making products are doing to the mental health of our young people.”
Mark Saxby
Mark, what did you take away from the event in Parliament, and how does the work that you do impact children and parents on this subject?
“It was wonderful to be in a room with so many people passionate about making a change. There were lots of different approaches to tackling the issue of social media and children, but we all agreed that through collaboration, we can make a real difference. Our sessions in schools and with parents open eyes to the negative impact of social media—and how we can live more fulfilling lives if we’re not glued to our screens.”
Lord John Nash
Lord John Nash, why is it so important to you and society that changes are made and there are new laws brought in around social media and smartphones?
“The damage that social media and smartphones do to our children is now well evidenced. I am proposing an amendment to the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill to ban social media before the age of 16.”
Teresa Parker
Teresa, as the mum of two boys, how do you navigate the issue of smartphones?
My eldest son Ben, who is nearly 12, has had a phone since he went away to PGL camp two years ago, and it was for the very practical reason that we wanted him to be able to get in contact with us on the evening when they were allowed phone access if he wanted to. It speaks volumes that he did for the first two nights, then completely forgot about us because he made a load of new friends and “Bristol Ben” (his PGL name) left his phone in the bag on the shelf.
That sums up his attitude to his phone—he likes having one but often has too much going on to want to be on it all the time. We’ve had to keep an eye on use of social media and out-of-control WhatsApp groups, and have deleted the odd thing—but as long as we are actively parenting and thinking about safety, phone use in moderation in our house is ok.
The event with Fabio has really made me think about how many people have a role in making smartphones and social media safe, from social media providers, to government regulation, to parents and communities.
Practically, I think it would be hard to remove smartphone use completely, because Ben’s football season ticket is on a phone, as is his Merlin annual pass, his bank card and his schedule for school now he has started Year 7. I have just received an email from the school to say which app his English homework will be on, and he scans QR codes to get more information—I think phone use in everyday life is already integrated so much in both education and social activities, simply removing smartphones from under 18s would be easier said than done.
As a parent who, in the next few years, will be considering what to do with my younger son, I think considering safety, boundaries and being transparent about what phones are being used for is key. And having red lines on when you lose access—if there are any behaviour issues in our house, the three things that get immediately addressed are the “3 S’s”—screens, sugar and sleep!
I was proud when Ben recently helped me with my work and screen recorded a social media short on how to turn off emergency phone alerts for survivors of domestic abuse who have a hidden phone. Phones can be used for good in different ways, from sharing information to learning a language; they just have to be used safely and with ongoing supervision and guidance for young people. And as parents, we all have a role to play in making sure that if our children have access to phones, it is as safe as it can possibly be. If there are apps or social media platforms where we do not feel our children are safe, we need to take steps to make sure they are not accessing them.
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“…My daughter initially said to me, ‘Mummy, sometimes I think you don’t like me very much when you’re on the phone.”
What has been the most challenging time in your life since having to juggle both work and parenthood?
Anna: “I think this is probably something every one of your readers has gone through. Regardless of whether you are, I hate the term stay-at-home-mum because no parent stays at home, you’re out doing things all the time and everyone’s a full time mum. I think it’s really offensive when you hear, I’m a full time mum. Well no actually, I’m a full time mum too. Everyone’s a full time mum because even when you’re working, you’re still carrying the weight of parenting at the same time, That’s why it’s heavy for us all at times. The administration of that %91parenting%93. You’re carrying your child from birth to primary school even at secondary school and beyond. I think a lot of your readers would probably relate here, regardless of, if you’re a ‘stay-at-home mum’ or, you know, you work, in an office or away… when that moment where your child says ‘Mummy, why are you on your phone?’ And there’s this moment that happens, in every single parent’s day where you’re caught between everything you need to do and just being with your child. My daughter initially said to me, ‘mummy, sometimes I think you don’t like me very much when you’re on the phone.’ And it broke me. So that is the kind of thing that is challenging. It’s trying to mentally balance the love I have for them, knowing that my heart is with them, but my head is with my mortgage, with the things I need to add structure to their lives, safety, security and recognising that is also love for them. And I’m actually split in the middle and I think that our phones are quite representative of that split, that divide, that tension. Because what parent hasn’t said to their child. ‘Just a minute, just a minute.’ And then they look at you and they say, ‘has it been a minute yet.’ And you’re like, ‘just a second’ and then they’ll ask ‘Is it a second yet?.’ Then you can feel yourself rising and you feel that feeling in your chest, because what you’re trying to do is answer an email or message or a client request in the middle of maybe cooking their dinner, or do one of the thousand other things that need doing. You can then get to a point where you lose it. And I lost it the other day, I said ‘if you don’t stop fighting (over some toy that neither of them cared about) …if you don’t stop doing that, Mum is going to lose her temperature!’ And as I said temperature, they just burst out laughing. %91She laughs%93 But that’s kind of how it feels. You’re kind of like a kettle boiling. And as you do lose your temperature, you lose your temper, you lose your marbles, you lose your mind! You know, there’s so much loss in motherhood. There’s loss of hair. There’s a loss of glow. You know, you go from pregnant to not pregnant. There’s lots of skin that used to be firm and isn’t anymore. There’s loss of self. There’s loss of conversation etc. But in all of that, in the fragments of that loss, you find yourself. The best bit of standing in the middle of what can seem like rubble is looking at my two little girls and thinking, ‘I get to be your mother, I get to be your parent.” But yes, all that extra pressure that comes with being a mum I would say probably remains the most challenging job Mother Nature could ever bestow %91she laughs.%93”
And to end on a high note, what has been the highlight of your career so far?”
Anna: “I think the highlight of my career is actually, moments with my two girls. I’m really trying to carve that time out. I think it’s really easy to go to kind of accolades or moments or legislation or, you know, maybe hosting something or quite big tangible things, but the biggest thing for me is reclaiming time with them. That’s my success story. Time that I know a more archaic employer would have taken from me. So I think it’s probably sitting on the sofa on a Sunday morning, when we’re all in our PJs, whilst they eat Cheerios and you end up with one in your bra stuck to you. Those moments where they are snuggled up with you, and you can feel the warmth of their little bodies, whilst watching some inane cartoon; those are the moments you live for.
If I was going to say on a tangible level, it would be changing the law of flexible working. The flexible working bill that came into effect in April of this year. I didn’t do it on my own though, there were a hell of a lot of other organisations involved in that. But the reason that matters is because it’s something where I can say to my little girls, I did that because I’m not letting you go through what I went through. %91Anna voice quivers and her eyes fill with tears%93 I’m not letting you go through that. I just couldn’t. I couldn’t watch them go do their ABCs, and then their GCSEs and their A-levels and maybe get that first job. You know when you get a phone on a computer. Going from the excitement of that to then having someone take it away. I’m not letting them go through that. That’s what happened to me and it’s certainly not happening to this one %91She rubs her stomach%93 So yeah, I think it’s to change the structure of the world that has written us, as little girls, off!”
You can follow the inspirational Anna Whitehouse on Instagram @Mother_Pukka or visit her website: www.motherpukka.co.uk/
” content_phone=”
“…My daughter initially said to me, ‘Mummy, sometimes I think you don’t like me very much when you’re on the phone.”
What has been the most challenging time in your life since having to juggle both work and parenthood?
Anna: “I think this is probably something every one of your readers has gone through. Regardless of whether you are, I hate the term stay-at-home-mum because no parent stays at home, you’re out doing things all the time and everyone’s a full time mum. I think it’s really offensive when you hear, I’m a full time mum. Well no actually, I’m a full time mum too. Everyone’s a full time mum because even when you’re working, you’re still carrying the weight of parenting at the same time, That’s why it’s heavy for us all at times. The administration of that %91parenting%93. You’re carrying your child from birth to primary school even at secondary school and beyond. I think a lot of your readers would probably relate here, regardless of, if you’re a ‘stay-at-home mum’ or, you know, you work, in an office or away… when that moment where your child says ‘Mummy, why are you on your phone?’ And there’s this moment that happens, in every single parent’s day where you’re caught between everything you need to do and just being with your child. My daughter initially said to me, ‘mummy, sometimes I think you don’t like me very much when you’re on the phone.’ And it broke me. So that is the kind of thing that is challenging. It’s trying to mentally balance the love I have for them, knowing that my heart is with them, but my head is with my mortgage, with the things I need to add structure to their lives, safety, security and recognising that is also love for them. And I’m actually split in the middle and I think that our phones are quite representative of that split, that divide, that tension. Because what parent hasn’t said to their child. ‘Just a minute, just a minute.’ And then they look at you and they say, ‘has it been a minute yet.’ And you’re like, ‘just a second’ and then they’ll ask ‘Is it a second yet?.’ Then you can feel yourself rising and you feel that feeling in your chest, because what you’re trying to do is answer an email or message or a client request in the middle of maybe cooking their dinner, or do one of the thousand other things that need doing. You can then get to a point where you lose it. And I lost it the other day, I said ‘if you don’t stop fighting (over some toy that neither of them cared about) …if you don’t stop doing that, Mum is going to lose her temperature!’ And as I said temperature, they just burst out laughing. %91She laughs%93 But that’s kind of how it feels. You’re kind of like a kettle boiling. And as you do lose your temperature, you lose your temper, you lose your marbles, you lose your mind! You know, there’s so much loss in motherhood. There’s loss of hair. There’s a loss of glow. You know, you go from pregnant to not pregnant. There’s lots of skin that used to be firm and isn’t anymore. There’s loss of self. There’s loss of conversation etc. But in all of that, in the fragments of that loss, you find yourself. The best bit of standing in the middle of what can seem like rubble is looking at my two little girls and thinking, ‘I get to be your mother, I get to be your parent.” But yes, all that extra pressure that comes with being a mum I would say probably remains the most challenging job Mother Nature could ever bestow %91she laughs.%93”
And to end on a high note, what has been the highlight of your career so far?”
Anna: “I think the highlight of my career is actually, moments with my two girls. I’m really trying to carve that time out. I think it’s really easy to go to kind of accolades or moments or legislation or, you know, maybe hosting something or quite big tangible things, but the biggest thing for me is reclaiming time with them. That’s my success story. Time that I know a more archaic employer would have taken from me. So I think it’s probably sitting on the sofa on a Sunday morning, when we’re all in our PJs, whilst they eat Cheerios and you end up with one in your bra stuck to you. Those moments where they are snuggled up with you, and you can feel the warmth of their little bodies, whilst watching some inane cartoon; those are the moments you live for.
If I was going to say on a tangible level, it would be changing the law of flexible working. The flexible working bill that came into effect in April of this year. I didn’t do it on my own though, there were a hell of a lot of other organisations involved in that. But the reason that matters is because it’s something where I can say to my little girls, I did that because I’m not letting you go through what I went through. %91Anna voice quivers and her eyes fill with tears%93 I’m not letting you go through that. I just couldn’t. I couldn’t watch them go do their ABCs, and then their GCSEs and their A-levels and maybe get that first job. You know when you get a phone on a computer. Going from the excitement of that to then having someone take it away. I’m not letting them go through that. That’s what happened to me and it’s certainly not happening to this one %91She rubs her stomach%93 So yeah, I think it’s to change the structure of the world that has written us, as little girls, off!”
You can follow the inspirational Anna Whitehouse on Instagram @Mother_Pukka or visit her website: www.motherpukka.co.uk/
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“ I’d pivoted from a successful career as a screenwriter, director and producer working in tv and film to ‘storttelling’ online fulltime, as my former job had proved completely incompatible with motherhood”
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You’ve recently posted, I’m not sorry, where you mentioned that when you returned to work after having your first two children, you returned almost ‘smaller’ and quite apologetic. You have shared your understandable frustrations around that. How different will the experience be for you this time around? Do you feel stronger than you did previously?
Anna: “I’m just not taking it anymore, you know. %91Anna talks passionately%93 I think things have and are changing; it’s not a case of employers changing things, I think women are changing things because we’re 50% of the population and we’re just saying ‘No!’. We’re saying, ‘No, call my daughter’s father as well as me when she’s in nursery!’ (And that’s nothing against the amazing key workers who work with our children.) But the expectation, the bulk of childcare, is still strapped firmly to female shoulders. It’s not that we’re fighting some revolution. It’s evolution. That’s the difference. And I think people see that, with the work I do, the work the ‘Pregnant Then Screwed’ group does, the work that the Fawcett Society does – all these amazing organisations shine a light on this. People say to me ‘Oh my God, this is big what you’re all doing!’ and I’m like, no, it’s what it should have been there in the first place! That’s what equality is. It’s rebalancing a system that is structured and built for women, specifically mothers to fail. So I am not apologising anymore for a system that is set up for me, for my daughters, for my daughter’s-daughter’s to fail. It’s not my fault. It’s not your fault. and it needs fixing!”
Is it that personal experience that inspired you to start Flex Appeal? (The campaign for more flexible working for everyone)
Anna: “I think when I started speaking about the other side of the motherhood story, which wasn’t just about what maternity bag to buy or, ‘how to pack your hospital bag.’ It was about the real-time frustrations around giving up, not just work, but your purpose, of yourself, the expectation that you just step back. I decided, actually, do you know what this needs? Governmental change. This needs structural change. So that is when I launched Flex Appeal, which was our lobbying body/platform/organisation for the exhausted women in the street shouting, ‘ I don’t care what you want to call me %91for being me%93!’ It’s that drive to change not just the narrative, but legislation. I just thought, there’s no way through this unless legislation changes for men and women. And I think that’s the big point here. This isn’t just about mums. This is about parents! It’s about dads who are just desperately frustrated that their employer won’t enable them to work flexibly because it’s seen as a ‘her-in-doors’ job still.
I say, the unconscious bias, but it’s a conscious bias that sits right there. So I needed a campaign to hook this on. That would have me, my little daughter at the time, my second daughter, and maybe this one now %91she points to her unborn child%93 knocking on the doors of Whitehall and just saying, what are you doing about the 54,000 women every year that are locked out of the workforce for daring to have a baby? Like, that’s a ridiculous amount. And that doesn’t even include gagging orders, NDA’s, etc, so you could probably quadruple that number you know.”
After 10 years of campaignin, how are you feeling now that it was recently announced the current government has decided to start the ball rolling? And how long do you think it will take to be implemented?
Yeah. Three babies, one decade, and one campaign %91she laughs.%93 I will say the proof is in the pudding because there’ve been so many governmental, political promises and until it actually happens, I don’t and I won’t believe it. So in some ways I’m taking it with a pinch of salt.
It’s quite monumental, but until flexible working is by default, that it is just assumed across the board instead of fought for, the onus is still on the employees. Until that structure changes, I won’t see any level of success. But what I would love to see, before that time is don’t wait for the laws to change if you’re an employer. Don’t take the stick approach, take the carrot approach. Why aren’t you thinking about how you can retain this brilliant talent? You’re not doing us a favour. We’re great. We’re talented. You’re cutting us out at our prime when we know so much and then you have to get somebody else in and %91have to%93 train them up. So it’s about businesses too really. I want to see cultural change. I want to see. For example a dad messaged me, and he told me that he had put his request flexible in and it was rejected on the basis that they said, ‘Can’t your ‘missus’ do that?’ That was in 2023? %91she sighs in disbelief and goes onto answer the question herself…%93 ‘You know what, No. His ‘missus’ might be working elsewhere, or might be a brain surgeon, or you know, might be doing something else. So no, the assumption that ‘her-in-doors,’ ‘ya missus,’ ‘the mum’, the ‘primary caregiver’ should automatically pick up that childcare slack, is so inherently wrong. So I want to see a cultural change around that employer going, yes, absolutely, pick up your daughter from nursery because of the old hapless dad trope, you know, ‘daddy daycare’ or ‘babysitting my children.’ any of that – we’re done with it! Like you’re parenting. I think that it’s language like that that we need to start using: parenting, parental leave, not just maternity leave. Lets unite the two sides of the procreation coin. It takes two to tango. So you know there won’t be equality unless we recognise those two sides.
” content_phone=”
You’ve recently posted, I’m not sorry, where you mentioned that when you returned to work after having your first two children, you returned almost ‘smaller’ and quite apologetic. You have shared your understandable frustrations around that. How different will the experience be for you this time around? Do you feel stronger than you did previously?
Anna: “I’m just not taking it anymore, you know. %91Anna talks passionately%93 I think things have and are changing; it’s not a case of employers changing things, I think women are changing things because we’re 50% of the population and we’re just saying ‘No!’. We’re saying, ‘No, call my daughter’s father as well as me when she’s in nursery!’ (And that’s nothing against the amazing key workers who work with our children.) But the expectation, the bulk of childcare, is still strapped firmly to female shoulders. It’s not that we’re fighting some revolution. It’s evolution. That’s the difference. And I think people see that, with the work I do, the work the ‘Pregnant Then Screwed’ group does, the work that the Fawcett Society does – all these amazing organisations shine a light on this. People say to me ‘Oh my God, this is big what you’re all doing!’ and I’m like, no, it’s what it should have been there in the first place! That’s what equality is. It’s rebalancing a system that is structured and built for women, specifically mothers to fail. So I am not apologising anymore for a system that is set up for me, for my daughters, for my daughter’s-daughter’s to fail. It’s not my fault. It’s not your fault. and it needs fixing!”
Is it that personal experience that inspired you to start Flex Appeal? (The campaign for more flexible working for everyone)
Anna: “I think when I started speaking about the other side of the motherhood story, which wasn’t just about what maternity bag to buy or, ‘how to pack your hospital bag.’ It was about the real-time frustrations around giving up, not just work, but your purpose, of yourself, the expectation that you just step back. I decided, actually, do you know what this needs? Governmental change. This needs structural change. So that is when I launched Flex Appeal, which was our lobbying body/platform/organisation for the exhausted women in the street shouting, ‘ I don’t care what you want to call me %91for being me%93!’ It’s that drive to change not just the narrative, but legislation. I just thought, there’s no way through this unless legislation changes for men and women. And I think that’s the big point here. This isn’t just about mums. This is about parents! It’s about dads who are just desperately frustrated that their employer won’t enable them to work flexibly because it’s seen as a ‘her-in-doors’ job still.
I say, the unconscious bias, but it’s a conscious bias that sits right there. So I needed a campaign to hook this on. That would have me, my little daughter at the time, my second daughter, and maybe this one now %91she points to her unborn child%93 knocking on the doors of Whitehall and just saying, what are you doing about the 54,000 women every year that are locked out of the workforce for daring to have a baby? Like, that’s a ridiculous amount. And that doesn’t even include gagging orders, NDA’s, etc, so you could probably quadruple that number you know.”
After 10 years of campaignin, how are you feeling now that it was recently announced the current government has decided to start the ball rolling? And how long do you think it will take to be implemented?
Yeah. Three babies, one decade, and one campaign %91she laughs.%93 I will say the proof is in the pudding because there’ve been so many governmental, political promises and until it actually happens, I don’t and I won’t believe it. So in some ways I’m taking it with a pinch of salt.
It’s quite monumental, but until flexible working is by default, that it is just assumed across the board instead of fought for, the onus is still on the employees. Until that structure changes, I won’t see any level of success. But what I would love to see, before that time is don’t wait for the laws to change if you’re an employer. Don’t take the stick approach, take the carrot approach. Why aren’t you thinking about how you can retain this brilliant talent? You’re not doing us a favour. We’re great. We’re talented. You’re cutting us out at our prime when we know so much and then you have to get somebody else in and %91have to%93 train them up. So it’s about businesses too really. I want to see cultural change. I want to see. For example a dad messaged me, and he told me that he had put his request flexible in and it was rejected on the basis that they said, ‘Can’t your ‘missus’ do that?’ That was in 2023? %91she sighs in disbelief and goes onto answer the question herself…%93 ‘You know what, No. His ‘missus’ might be working elsewhere, or might be a brain surgeon, or you know, might be doing something else. So no, the assumption that ‘her-in-doors,’ ‘ya missus,’ ‘the mum’, the ‘primary caregiver’ should automatically pick up that childcare slack, is so inherently wrong. So I want to see a cultural change around that employer going, yes, absolutely, pick up your daughter from nursery because of the old hapless dad trope, you know, ‘daddy daycare’ or ‘babysitting my children.’ any of that – we’re done with it! Like you’re parenting. I think that it’s language like that that we need to start using: parenting, parental leave, not just maternity leave. Lets unite the two sides of the procreation coin. It takes two to tango. So you know there won’t be equality unless we recognise those two sides.
” content_last_edited=”off|desktop” _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” custom_padding=”15px|29px|30px|29px||” global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content”]
Can you tell us a bit about the stories and how you think they’ll resonate with young readers?
The Greek Myths each have a moral behind them, and I include a section at the end of each one titled Moral of the Myth to help children understand and further explore the stories, often making parallels with well-known fairy tales which came after the myths. The ancient Greeks believed 12 powerful gods lived on Mount Olympus, but that they were as flawed and complex as the human mortals they governed over. The myths tell the stories of deities and mortals who made bad decisions, for example, the money-obsessed King Midas who turned his own child to gold before repenting, or the impulsive Icarus who failed to listen to his father and flew too close to the sun.
How did your own experiences as a parent influence the writing process, and did you draw from any specific moments or challenges?
Being a parent means having experienced emotion in its most heightened form: unconditional love, searing pain, rebellious optimism, endless ennui and more. To have access to such a vast range of experiences and emotions enables me to empathise with each character and make them more human. I also think having children and being busy means not having the luxury of procrastination because as soon as the youngest is asleep, I HAVE to write!
How do you prioritise your time and responsibilities as a working mum, and what self-care practices help you stay energised and focused?
I tend to write on the days my 3 year old has childcare (2 days a week) and when she sleeps. My older sons are at school, but they have lots of sports commitments, so after school and weekends are busy. I feel like a taxi driver most of the time. I think the pandemic gave me greater balance in my work/ parenting life as I didn’t have to commute as much as before. I also became stricter when it came to the projects I took on during my pregnancy and beyond. A former therapist once said to me, ‘You are your values,’ so I always remember what matters most to me: family and friends and making work decisions from a place of knowing what I want and need in order to be a happy and present mum first. My identity at one time relied heavily on my career. It doesn’t anymore, it’s an important part of me, but not as vital as my mental and physical health and of course my kids, husband, parents and close pals. I love running and try to do yoga from home as much as possible. I also follow a low-carb diet, which helps me feel my strongest.
And lastly, do you have any tales of ‘BROOD Moments’ where work and parenthood have collided?
My middle son was asked on live TV around the age of 4 (on the BBC) if he was happy I worked from home so he could see me more, and he said, ‘No, she can be quite annoying! ’ Ha! From the mouth of babes!
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