Kate’s fears for her children
As Charlotte hits the terrible twos and George gears up for a new school with a ‘no best friend’ policy, you can’t help but feel for their mum
You can have as much status and wealth as you like – but your power means nothing when it comes to ordering a wilful toddler around. As most mums will admit, that is more than likely to be the reality for the Duchess of Cambridge, when Princess Charlotte turns two on 2 May.
And it seems the Duchess is well aware of the fate that lies in store for her. Attending the unveiling of a war memorial in London, Kate was reported to chat to a fellow mother-oftwo, Samantha Burge, who revealed that Kate told her, ‘Charlotte is growing up really fast. She is the one in charge...’
It’s not the first time we’ve been given an insight into Princess Charlotte’s assertive streak – in February, Kate let slip about how ‘fiercely competitive’ both her children are in a training session with marathon icon Paula Radcliffe.
‘I think we were just having a laugh about how children are naturally competitive,’ ex-world champion Paula told a reporter. ‘She was saying children are competitive and I was saying that I think it is a good thing and that we should nurture competitiveness.’
In fairness, things can’t be easy when you’re born into one of the world’s most watched families – and if Princess Charlotte is bossy, that is actually completely normal behaviour for her age.
According to Dr Justin Peter, a London GP, ‘The “terrible twos” are a normal stage of development. Toddlers struggle between separation anxiety from their parents and wanting to assert their own independence, so frustration and tantrums can arise because they are unable to clearly communicate their needs or control their emotions.’
Charlotte is also set to star at her aunty Pippa’s wedding as a bridesmaid but her age could make her behaviour unpredictable.
Meanwhile, ‘no best friends’ is a policy on the rise in primary schools
and it is one encouraged at the school Prince George is heading for in September.
Thomas’s School in south London insists there is no ‘official’ line, but supports the idea, as it stops children feeling the pain of being left out.
Clinical psychologist Linda Blair told best, ‘It’s an unusual idea. It’s impossible to protect kids from getting hurt, no matter how much you want to. You should teach children what they can do, not what not to do. It will only encourage them to do it. It has the potential to leave a child lonely, as some kids won’t find it easy to socialise in large groups.’
So how will Kate cope if George wants to invite one child home more than others for play dates? It’s a question many mums have asked themselves in the past and it has no obvious answer.
Not so long ago, the Duchess confessed to serious wobbles about the rights and wrongs of parenthood, revealing in an emotional speech that – like many mums – she suffered from a ‘ lack of confidence’ and feelings of ‘ignorance’.
Talking at the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, for the Best Beginnings Out of the Blue charity, Kate admitted being a mum to little ones was ‘a huge challenge’, adding, ‘Nothing can really prepare you – it is full of complex emotions of joy, exhaustion, love and worry, all mixed together.’
She continued, ‘ You go from thinking of yourself as an individual, to suddenly being a mother, first and foremost. And yet there is no rulebook, no right or wrong – you just have to make it up and do the very best you can for your family.
‘For many mothers, myself included, this can at times lead to lack of confidence and feelings of ignorance.’
Chin up, Kate, there isn’t a mum anywhere who won’t sympathise with your natural mummy fears and tell you all will be fine – eventually.