Thank You Jennifer Hicks

So, there I was, right in the middle of writing a blog about mums on their phones when I came across Jennifer Hicks who is the mind behind reallifeparentingblog.com. Being on the phone while at the same time being a parent has become a pretty big deal these days and yet another stick with which to beat reasonable, hard-working, exhausted parents who are doing their best over the head with. I've been stopped several times in the supermarket as I chatted non-sensically away to a gurgling baby about what pasta shapes we were having that week by old ladies who said, "It's so lovely to see a mum walking around talking to her baby rather than being on the phone."

What I say: "Oh, thank you. Erm. Yes. OK."

What I'm thinking: "You should have seen me two hours ago while I pushed her in the park and didn't take my eyes off my phone."

Then, this little nugget of judgemental bullshit came out disguised as a gentle reminder attempting to nudge seemingly neglectful parents into shape and it pissed me off. So, as I mentioned at the beginning, I was writing a blog about how and why that pissed me off.

However, as I was looking around for the original article, I came across Jennifer Hicks' reply in the Huffington post and thought, "Bollocks to this. She's done it much better than I would so I'll share that instead."

Enjoy.