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

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.