Mum's The Word! With Georgia Jones & Kelsey Parker

This week Kelsey Parker sits down with Lee Parkinson MBE. Teacher, three-time Sunday Times bestselling author and one half of Two Mr Ps in a Podcast for a chat about school readiness, raising triplets and why we've all been worrying about the wrong things. Lee gets real about becoming a stepdad at 21, the scan where the nurse went silent before revealing it was triplets, and the "bath, bottle, bed" routine that got all three sleeping through by six months. Then it goes deeper: why 63% of children aren't ready for school, how scrapping Sure Start centres left a hole nobody filled, and why the little things like doing up their own shoes & putting on a coat actually matter far more than reading or counting before day one. Plus the lighter stuff: the ex-pupil who bought him a pint 15 years on, getting his MBE ("the world's worst kept secret"), and the show-and-tell Tupperware box that accidentally exposed an affair. Grab a cuppa and get comfy. A Create Podcast Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Georgia & Kelsey get right into it this week. Kelsey's partner Will's about to become a dad for the first time: and he's walking into it the hard way. Kelsey raised Bodhi's baby years almost entirely alone, so this time feels completely different: parenting as a two. But she reckons Will's had it tough: plonked in at the deep end with a five and seven-year-old, made to "man up" fast, and now rewinding all the way back to a newborn he's never experienced. She's bracing for the arguments, the emotions, and Bodhi already insisting he's still the baby. Then there's Cooper's big school shake-up. New class, new year, friends split up and reshuffled. Cooper came skipping out (mostly because the kid who wasn't nice to him got moved), and the mum group chat descended into chaos when Danny accidentally added himself to the wrong one. Plus, this week's Mum's The Word Top Fives : the things your own mum and dad do that wind you up. The "he ate all his potatoes" fib no grandparent will ever admit to Insisting you were the perfect baby while your kid is apparently impossible Retired parents somehow being busier than you'll ever be Grab a cuppa. This one's close to home. A Create Podcast Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week Kelsey Parker sits down with Shaughna Phillips for an honest chat about motherhood, grief and the beautiful chaos of raising two little girls. Shaughna gets real about the jump from one to two, why baby Sofia has just had to "slot in", and why she's chosen to keep three-year-old Lucia home instead of sending her to nursery, five years full-time is all she gets, and she's determined to be selfish with it. Then it goes deeper: losing her dad to pancreatic cancer at 22, the promise she made to keep his diagnosis from her mum, looking after him through his final months, and how grieving him as a daughter became something else entirely once she became a mum herself. Plus the lighter stuff: Love Island auditions and every green light going her way, a pension committee job with 900 applicants after she left, and the psychic who told her Lucia "came out the sunroof." Grab a cuppa and get comfy. A Create Podcast Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Georgia & Kelsey aren't holding back this week. Gentle parenting? A generation of "snowflakes"? Kelsey thinks we're raising kids who can't sit a driving test or face a job interview, and she's got the receipts. When Bodhi begged not to go to his gymnastics competition, she made him go anyway. He came home with a medal. Georgia, the reformed shy kid, shares a story about her own dad refusing to let her quit a beauty pageant. Inside this episode: Why saying "no" makes your child feel safer , not sadder The one parenting label that could be quietly damaging your kid The gentle-parenting "trauma" myth and what actually causes it Plus: a homeopathy kit vs. a full Boots haul, feral camping toddlers, and the Skye Newman lyric no mum wants blasting from the back seat. Top five holiday-packing regrets included, starting with the first aid kit Kelsey flat-out refuses to bring. Grab a cuppa. This one gets spicy. A Create Podcast Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week Georgia Jones sits down with comedian and mum-of-three Hannah East for a chat that goes so far off-piste they have to remind themselves they're actually recording a podcast. Turns out these two go way back: Georgia handed Hannah her prize at Miss Scarborough nearly two decades ago, and they've somehow retraced almost the exact same path from pageants and presenting to parenting content ever since. Hannah gets real about building a following of hundreds of thousands from filming herself in wigs in her bedroom, the lactating video that changed everything after nobody cared about her fitness content, and going from five-people-and-a-bottle-of-red comedy gigs to a sold-out theatre tour her dad genuinely thought was a trip to the pub. Plus all the good stuff: why Center Parcs is basically contraception parks, dressing your kids in high-vis so you don't lose them, the mental load nobody warns you about, husbands and their paddle elbow, and exactly what to do (and never do) in a school WhatsApp group. Oh, and one of them may have fallen into a bush. Grab a cuppa and get comfy. A Create Podcast Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week Georgia Jones and Kelsey Parker are joined by Tom Le Tissier, Head of Alleyn's Regent's Park, for a chat about school choices, screens and what actually makes children thrive, and yes, it's his very first podcast. Tom explains the 11+ properly (Georgia had to Google it that morning), why more families are looking for a route around it, and how quickly children soak up their parents' panic. Then it goes deeper: the difference between screen time and screen use, why an iPad should just be "an extension of the pencil case," and how we've got more protective in the real world at exactly the moment we should be loosening the reins. Plus teaching children to fail well, why the best athletes and musicians specialise late, and his top five things he wishes parents understood about school. Kelsey opens up about how her daughter Aurelia was held after losing Phoenix, Georgia shares the maths teacher who put her off numbers for life, and Tom confesses to sprinting flat out in an inflatable shark costume while every other teacher was just having a laugh. Grab a cuppa and get comfy. Alleyn's Regent's Park is a co-educational preparatory school for children aged 3 to 11, offering an inspiring and joyful education in the heart of North London. Set moments from Regent's Park and London Zoo, we combine 400 years of educational tradition with the creativity and forward-thinking approach children need to thrive. https://www.alleyns-regentspark.org.uk/ A Create Podcast Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

One year on from losing Phoenix, Kelsey opens up about the paramedics, the video no one could watch, and being told she could only hold her son "through a mattress." She's still fighting for answers, and still, she says, living with PTSD. Georgia, meanwhile, is deep in default-parent mode: a one-night washing protest, Cooper's strict holiday budget, and a lawn-seeding standoff keeping the paddling pool firmly in the shed. This episode covers the big stuff: Kelsey's PTSD one year on, and the fight for accountability that's still ongoing The Robinson's Room she had to plead to get into Why women can be prosecuted for a "medical experience" and men can't Georgia's realisation that mums are always the default parent Plus: a fake puncture, Will's tan lines, "toxic energy" accusations, and a newly vegan kid who's ruined packed lunch forever. Top five 90s/2000s throwbacks also make the cut: Woolworths pick and mix included. Grab a cuppa. This one's a good one. A Create Podcast Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week Georgia Jones sits down with Stevie White from Jaackmate's Happy Hour for a chat about stepdad life, baby loss and finding your way back after grief. Stevie gets real about meeting Isaac at three, the sloth teddy that sealed the deal, and the moment Isaac called him "Dad" completely out of the blue. Then it goes deeper: losing baby Noah to a termination for medical reasons at 23 weeks, the rare DNA translocation no doctor had seen before, finding out on Christmas Eve, and the brave decision he and Ariane made about their family afterwards. Plus the lighter stuff: a 28-hour charity stream for Sands, a hair transplant gone Buzz Lightyear, and the Cromer Marathon he won't shut up about. Grab a cuppa and get comfy. A Create Podcast Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Kelsey finally shares her pregnancy news properly, opening up about why she kept it private for so long, what "rainbow baby" really means, and why she believes this pregnancy is a gift from Tom and Phoenix. Aurelia's already picked the name, Will's basically the newest star of Kelsey's socials whether he likes it or not, and Kelsey's convinced pregnancy has cracked open her third eye. Georgia and Kelsey also dig into the UK's new social media ban for under-16s, from VPN workarounds to the "man in the white van" comparison that changed how they think about online strangers. This episode covers the big stuff: Kelsey's rainbow baby reveal, the medium who told her Tom is "holding" Phoenix, and why she refuses to be anxious this time round The under-16 social media ban - VPN loopholes, gaming chat room bullying, and whether it'll actually change anything Plus the everyday chaos: deleted screen time reports, toddlers who can unlock an iPhone but not their shoes, and faking the reading log since week two They also run through the top five things their friends without kids will never understand. Spoiler: the mental load, the cancelling, and being told "you're tired" all make the cut. Grab a cuppa and get comfy. This one's a good one. A Create Podcast Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week Georgia Jones sits down with Atomic Kitten's Natasha Hamilton for a chat about motherhood across four decades, perimenopause and reclaiming her music career on her own terms. Natasha gets real about becoming a mum again at 43 after IVF, the emergency surgery that followed, and what it was like being a 20-year-old pop star with postnatal depression and a newborn on a world tour, back when the right support just wasn't there. Then it goes deeper: the mental breakdown that led her to therapy, parenting a 24-year-old and a toddler at the same time, the terrifying social media experiment that changed how she protects her daughter, and why HRT gave her her life (and her marriage) back. Plus the music: her new EP Extraction, the deeply personal track White Feather written for her late grandmother, and the family-filled video where her daughter plays a young Natasha. Grab a cuppa and get comfy. A Create Podcast Find Natasha: EP – Extraction, out now Substack – https://natashahamiltonnotes.substack.com/ Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/natashahamilton/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week on Mum's The Word, Kelsey Parker is joined by psychologist and author Dr Charlotte Armitage, the woman behind Generation Zombie and founder of Be Device Wise, for an honest look at why she's gone completely screen-free at home. From shocking Ofcom figures (some kids on screens eleven hours a day) to the dopamine trap, the ADHD overlap, and the real dangers reaching children in their own bedrooms, Charlotte breaks down the science every parent needs to hear, plus why it's good for kids to be bored and how to set boundaries from a place of love. Grab a cuppa, get comfy, and join Kelsey and Charlotte for another episode of Mum's The Word. A Create Podcast Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week on Mum’s The Word, Georgia Jones sits down with award-winning broadcaster and Relatively host Catherine Carr to talk about the relationship we rarely know how to talk about: the one with our siblings. Her debut book, Who’s The Favourite?, busts the myths and shares the science behind the brothers and sisters we love and occasionally want to throttle. Why might siblings be the longest relationship of your life? Why is no child ever born into the same family? And why do labels like the golden child, the funny one or the baby follow us into adulthood? Catherine and Georgia get into birth order, the truth about only children, whether firstborns really are cleverer, sibling rivalry, and the stat that 74% of parents admit to having a favourite. Plus the beautiful idea that reframes it all: that family isn’t a hierarchy, it’s a constellation. Find out more: Listen to Catherine’s podcast RELATIVELY Get the book WHO’S THE FAVOURITE? Follow Catherine on Instagram @tall.lady.carr Grab a cuppa, get comfy, and tuck in. A Create Podcast Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week Kelsey Parker sits down with Phoebe Tomlinson for an honest, funny and emotional chat about motherhood, grief and growing up in the public eye. Phoebe gets real about becoming a mum at 20, the trolling that hit the moment she announced her pregnancy, and the "teen mum" stereotype she still battles. Then it goes deeper: losing her mum at 12 and her sister at 16, why she'll always be honest with Olive, signs from loved ones, and the eerie moment Olive recognised her late nan from a photo. Plus the lighter stuff: the Christmas debate, twin life, and nursery fees that'll make your eyes water. Grab a cuppa and get comfy. A Create Podcast Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Georgia's been to Ibiza for "work," back to her mum's for buttery toast and zero phone signal, and left Cooper twice in one week, after he begged her not to go. Kelsey reveals a secret brother nobody knew about, and the pair get into it over why Sienna Miller gets called "irresponsible" at 41 but Robert De Niro gets a free pass at 80. This episode covers the big stuff: Geriatric pregnancy labels The double standards older mums face, perimenopause chat, and why women are judged no matter what they do Plus the everyday chaos: kids who eat everything at school but "get the ick" about your dinner, eco homework ordered off Amazon, and watching Bluey alone with zero shame. They also rank the top five things they miss about life before kids. Spoiler: freedom, sleep, and adults-only hotels make the cut. Grab a cuppa and get comfy. This one's a good one. A Create Podcast Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Claire Warren (@MyKindaMum) joins Georgia Jones for a no-filter conversation about the stuff mums think but rarely say out loud. They cover mum guilt, the mental load, bottle vs breast judgement, relationship resentment, the contraceptive pill and anxiety, teaching boys to wee standing up, and why being called a "geriatric mother" at 36 is absolutely outrageous. Clare shares how she went from posting baby-led weaning content to building a huge community around just admitting motherhood is hard and Georgia opens up about not feeling instant love for Cooper when he was born. It's raw, it's funny, and you'll relate to every single word. A Create Podcast Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week on Mum's The Word, Georgia Jones and Kelsey Parker are back, and nothing is off-limits. Georgia gets emotional recounting Danny, her dad and Cooper's first ever three-generation golf trip (and admits to feeling a tiny bit of mum jealousy about it). Kelsey opens up about choosing to actually live life, why she's done with self-doubt, and how watching people relocate to Asia on TikTok is becoming dangerously tempting. Then it's the Top Five: things that shouldn't be homework. The answer? Everything. From impossible recycling projects to maths neither of them can do, they pitch a dream app where someone else builds your kid's school project for you: "Shit, but not too shit." Plus: Georgia's decade-old wedding thank you card confession, the joy of five minutes of silence in the car after drop-off, re-gifting etiquette, and the moment Georgia asks if Brazilian is a language? Grab a cuppa, get comfy, and join Georgia and Kelsey for another episode of Mum's The Word. A Create Podcast Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week on Mum's The Word, Kelsey Parker is joined by the brilliant Holly Hagan-Blyth, host of Cbeebies Parenting Helpline and former Geordie Shore star, for an incredibly open, funny and moving conversation that covers everything from pregnancy confessions to navigating life's hardest moments. Holly, who's pregnant with baby number two, opens up about full-blown nesting mode (she panelled her entire front room in an hour and a half), why she's choosing another planned C-section, and the very real, and very specific fear, that's kept her away from natural birth. Let's just say it involves pushing, pooing, and a husband who hasn't heard her fart in ten years. The pair then dive into the story behind son Alpha Jax's unforgettable name, the baby name shortlist for number two (Alessia Wild Bloom, anyone?), and why the name they've actually chosen might surprise everyone. The conversation takes a deeper turn as Holly speaks honestly about losing her sister six months ago, the frustration of being told how grief is "supposed" to hit, and why showing up and being strong doesn't mean you're not grieving. Kelsey shares her own reflections on loss, anniversaries, and how her children have been her greatest source of purpose. They also look back at Holly's Geordie Shore days from walking into the house at just 18, to nine pairs of eyelashes held on with hair glue, to the audition answer that had producers rubbing their hands together. Plus, the realities of the influencer world, why four million followers doesn't automatically mean business success, and how a Club biscuit addiction led Holly to discover nervous system regulation and her true passion in fitness and postpartum wellbeing. It's honest, it's hilarious, and it's a reminder that none of us have it all figured out. Grab a cuppa, get comfy, and join Kelsey and Holly for another episode of Mum's the Word. A Create Podcast Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week on Mum's The Word, Georgia Jones and Kelsey Parker are back in the studio for a chaotic, hilarious and surprisingly deep catch-up. Georgia finally tells all about her half-marathon: from the safety-pin disaster at the start line, to the intimidating girls in the toilet queue who nearly knocked her confidence, to the emotional moment she ran the entire race alongside strangers raising money for a brain tumour charity. Kelsey then shares the details of this year's Tom Parker Foundation football match, back at Bromley FC on the 17th of May with an incredible celebrity line-up. She also opens up about expanding her charity work this year to support the Lily Mae Foundation and individual families in need. The conversation turns to fear, comparison culture and why social media is making us more fearful than ever, before taking a properly spiritual turn when Kelsey reveals she believes children choose their parents and that some kids are old souls. Georgia is… not entirely convinced. Plus, the Mum's The Word Top Five returns with the things that trigger us as mums, and the pair get real about iPads at restaurants, going back to basics, and why family dinners around the table matter more than ever. Grab a cuppa, get comfy, and join Georgia and Kelsey for another episode of Mum's The Word. A Create Podcast Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week on Mum's The Word, Georgia Jones is joined by singer and new mum Talia Mar, and she's refreshingly honest about the parts of motherhood no one warns you about. Talia opens up about why pregnancy was far from the glowing, magical experience she expected, how her autism diagnosis changed the way she understands herself, and the moment having a daughter made her see the world completely differently. From battling hyperemesis gravidarum to navigating the overstimulation of new motherhood as a neurodivergent woman, Talia shares the coping strategies, the hard moments, and the humour that's got her through it all. The pair get into the real conversations every mum is having right now: Pregnancy nobody prepares you for — from HG to lightning crotch (yes, really) Being a neurodivergent mum — managing overstimulation, masking & finding your rhythm Raising a daughter in today's world — and why it sparked Talia's powerful new single Lady The female experience — from street harassment to the double standards we've all just… accepted Screen time & gaming — why Talia thinks games get a bad rap (and what Georgia learns about Minecraft) Getting an autism diagnosis as an adult woman — and why it was a relief, not a label There are laughs, lightbulb moments, and plenty of "why did no one tell us this?" honesty. If you've ever felt like motherhood is overwhelming, messy, and nothing like the Instagram version… this episode is for you. 🎧 Listen now to Mum's The Word: The parenting podcast that says what everyone else is thinking. A Create Podcast Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week on Mum’s The Word, Georgia Jones and Kelsey Parker are back for a brutally honest catch-up… and nothing is off-limits. From chaotic school runs and very territorial parking drama to the awkward realities of parents’ evening, the episode kicks off with the kind of everyday mum moments we’ve all lived through. Georgia shares the pressure of hearing feedback about Cooper at school (and questioning her own homework skills), while Kelsey opens up about why she’s taken a step back from social media, and the emotional toll of feeling like everything you say is under a microscope. The conversation then turns deeper, as the pair get candid about the highs and lows of parenting: including the guilt, the overwhelm, and the truth that loving your kids doesn’t always mean loving every moment of being a mum. They also dive into social media pressures, fake perfection online, and what a more honest version of Instagram for mums would actually look like. Plus, there’s plenty of lighter moments too: from top five kids’ snacks (processed vs homemade sparks debate), to takeaway guilt, parenting “threats” we never follow through on, and the daily juggle of getting out the door on time. It’s the kind of episode that reminds you you’re definitely not the only one winging it. Grab a cuppa, get comfy, and join Georgia and Kelsey for another episode of Mum’s The Word. A Create Podcast Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.