I love our chaotic, busy, noisy house with my boys
POP STAR AND MUM OF FOUR SOPHIE ELLIS-BEXTOR ON POSITIVE PARENTING
SOPHIE ELLIS-BEXTOR knows all about the juggling act of life as a busy, working parent – but she wouldn’t have it any other way. “I love our busy, chaotic, noisy household with my boisterous boys,” says Sophie, 38, who’s balanced her music career with raising four boys – Sonny, 13, Kit, 8, Ray, 5, and Jesse, 17 months – alongside her husband, The Feeling basist Richard Jones.
“I don’t think there are any rules for parenting, you just have to do what feels right for you and your children, but I talk a lot to my mum (former Blue Peter presenter, Janet Ellis) and friends, and we share what works and what doesn’t.”
The singer (she released her sixth album, aptly-named Familia, last year) has teamed up with Pampers, as an ambassador for the Preemie Protection range for premature babies – a cause close to her heart, as two of her own boys were born early.
Here, Sophie reveals her guide to positive parenting...
TALK IT THROUGH
“I’M quite tight on the boundaries of how we talk to each other in the family. I emphasise the importance of us being kind to people and to each other, and if I ever feel they’re not being kind or respectful, I’ll ask, ‘Is that really how we talk to each other? That’s not really how we should be.’
“Mealtimes are an important time for me to sit down with the boys and look them in the eye when they’re telling me how they are. I ask lots of questions about what’s going on and if anything’s bothering them. It helps me keep on top of stuff that’s happening in their lives.”
GETTING THEM TO BEHAVE
“I’M a big fan of talking things through with children as I don’t think shouting works – unless it’s spontaneous and stops them from running into danger.
“I don’t think there’s a ‘one-sizefits-all’ on discipline. For instance, my eldest boy Sonny, responded really well if I told him off, as he