EMILY ANDRE’S OK! COLUMN

OUR COLUMNIST ENJOYS A DAY OUT AT THE ZOO, SHUNS SOCIAL MEDIA AND SUPPORTS BARBARA WINDSOR

Pete has been away working in Croatia so we’re really missing him. When he gets back he’s straight into Grease The Musical again! It’s my 30th birthday this week and he’s going to come back to spend the day with us before heading back to work.

He’s working hard at the moment so I’m very happy he’s able to come back. I’m going to a friend’s wedding for the weekend after my birthday, which will be lovely, then

Pete and I are planning on having a night away together to celebrate in a few weeks!

I took Millie to London Zoo last week. She wrote a list of all the animals she was hoping to see then ticked them off as we went around [right]. She loved the giraffes [far right]! She and Theo have also really got into Toy Story. They’ve watched the original movie about

ten times and Theo has even been dressing up as Buzz Lightyear [below left]!

Drew Barrymore recently opened up about her children and said that she wishes she could raise her daughters in a world without social media. I totally agree with Drew, it’s so difficult to navigate social media as a parent. On the one hand you don’t want your kids to feel left out, but then studies have also shown that social media can be damaging. A recent study revealed that only nine per cent of social media use is actually for social purposes, the rest is just scrolling and making negative comparisons. For me there are more negatives than positives when it comes to social media, which is exactly why I don’t have it. I’m definitely happy with my decision to keep Millie and Theo away from it, and I would only change my decision once I’m confident they are old enough to be able to understand the pros and cons.