Things all British parents do

As soon as they step indoors – otherwise 'you won't feel the benefits, when you go back outside'.

The second they leave the house, because you don't want anyone 'catching a chill.'

It's the ultimate punishment.

'Back in your day' you didn't even have the internet at home.

And no, it wasn't the Stone Age.

Let's face it: a lot of take-away food is expensive. And it's a bit different now you're the adult who actually has to buy it!

Because you know as soon as the ice cream van comes down your road, the kids are going to be begging for one.

When did you become someone who thinks one from the back of the freezer is just as good?!

But it sure paid off in lockdown...

Admit it: despite promising yourself you’d never become your mum, you can’t fight the urge to say her classic catchphrases like ‘my house, my rules’, ‘no means no’ and ‘money doesn’t grow on trees’.

Simply because you don't have the energy to think of anything else to say!

It’s a rite of passage, getting to embarrass your kids as publicly as possible by commenting on every photo they post on Facebook and joining in with their friend’s conversations.

Whenever you’re texting them to see where they are and what time they’re home for tea, you can’t resist to sign off with ’Mum xx’ or 'Dad xx'.

You know they know it's you, but it’s your signature!

And why not? It’s thrifty! The kids always lose the expensive boxes, so you’re sick of having to keep paying out for them.

It’s your way of marking the start of summer, plus it means better-smelling laundry and is better for the environment than a tumble dryer.

Who knew you could get so excited about washing?

Would we be in Britain if it didn’t rain on your washing at least once a year (/week)?

Fancy crisps, big boxes of chocolate, four different types of dessert and many more treats are gathered in a cupboard out of sight and reserved for Christmas.

And, if the kids happen to spot them and ask if they can have some before the Big Day, it’s a no.

There’s plenty of leftovers from the Sunday roast the day before, which means there’s only one meal on the menu for Monday’s dinner.

And why not? You do enough for them...

Keys, takeaway menus, and other random bits and bobs fill this drawer. You don’t know how it came to be that way, but it is and you’re not planning on clearing it out anytime soon.

This has been going on long before the whole 5p law came in. Why? Well, because plastic bags always come in handy. If you ever remembered to take them with you...

Who doesn’t want to make a little extra cash, after all? Shame you never actually get round to doing it.

You rarely get to see your friends nowadays (and that was before lockdown!) so when you get the chance, you have about six months' worth of events to catch up on, which is why you want some proper one-on-one time.

It’s been a ridiculous day and you have no time or energy to cook anything, and plain pasta and cheese is always a winner with the little ones.
You can always throw some carrot and cucumber sticks on the side.

You know they find it embarrassing when you sing along to the songs they like but that doesn’t stop you from wanting to be down with the kids, even if you don’t entirely understand the lyrics to the songs they like.

You know they get annoyed at you for it, but it’s better than you be angry at them for taking a lifetime to come down when dinner's actually on the table and getting cold. Are we right?

Because you don’t want to risk seven years' bad luck if you don’t pass the message on to 15 friends in 15 minutes.

Always be prepared.

It’s the perfect size to fit a pushchair next to your table, it has plenty of highchairs and plenty of room in the loo where the changing table is. What more could you want?

With the constantly changing and rather confusing UK car seat laws, it’s easy to get caught up in constant conversations about them.

If only your younger self could hear you now.

See our round-up of the best car seats on the market, here.

You know they hate it – you hated it as a kid – but you’ve got to do what you’ve got to do.