5 secret things mums do that they will never tell you about

With a lot of love, comes a lot of exhaustion, so it’s hardly surprising us mums have found a few life hacks to make life a little easier.
Recently I asked a panel of 360 mums to admit to the things they do in secret, those things that they wouldn’t ordinarily admit to. This was the result.

• Lying about the time to get the kids to bed earlier

Not by hours of course (because they would notice – trust me if I’ve tried) but 30-45 minutes earlier.
It’s not that we don’t love being around our dear children but by 6pm, when coffee no longer works, when you can no longer stand another re-run of Peppa Pig and when you have ‘brummed’ cars until the sound echoes around your head, you are so desperate to sit down and zone out you would resort to anything!
We know it means they will be up earlier, we know this is not going to feel good in the morning but for the love of god, please, let us just have a break!

• Eating the party food at birthday parties when no one is looking

We are respectable ladies for 95% (ish!) of the time but put us in a room with hundreds of kids (well about 25) and a buffet table of onion rings, cheese sandwiches and tea cakes and we lose our resolve.
We know we shouldn’t, but we lurk, we ‘help’ distribute the food to the kids and we wait. Then as the last of the children leave we casually start stuffing our faces!

• Pretending to need to toilet for 5 minutes peace

Every single mother I know has done this!
For me it normally comes after I have had to referee the 18th argument, had the 29th battle of wills with a 4 year old, made breakfast, lunch, prepped dinner, done 2 loads of washing and I hear another battle beginning, off I go (with my phone) to the loo, lock the door and sit. When I hear ‘MUUUUUUM’ I say ‘Just in the toilet’ and pray they don’t camp outside and wait or talk through the door!
5 minutes later I am back out with my game face on. It’s like a power nap for my mind!

• Eating chocolate in the kitchen so you don’t have to share

Really we are saving our sweet children from being overloaded with sugar and looking after those pearly whites (honest), so I don’t see a problem with this one!

• Boarding the guilt train almost every single day!

Everyday as a mother you just hope for your children to be happy, it really is that simple. However most days, amongst the chaos, noise and exhaustion, when you have screamed, they have screamed and everyone has had MacDonalds for tea, you tuck them up into bed, kiss their little heads, tell them you love them and feel an overwhelming sense of guilt. ‘I promise I will be a nicer mummy tomorrow. I promise I will do better.’
Motherhood and guilt go hand in hand but the most amazing thing about mummies is they are always trying to do their very very best! So what is a few life hacks, cheats and secrets here and there!

Happy Mothers Day to all of you amazing mummies from us at 360 Play