If Kimberley Walsh ever feels outnumbered in her household of boys, she didn't show it once when we sat down to talk about family life, motherhood and a very timely campaign she is at the heart of.
The Girls Aloud singer, 41, is a proud mum to three sons: Bobby, eight, Cole, six and Nate, who turns two in May, with husband Justin Scott.
Of how her boys keep her brain ticking over, she laughs, 'My school days are very far behind me at this point, so I feel like you start learning all over again.'
It is clear that Kimberley has a very wise head on her shoulders, particularly when it boils down to family communication and how social media can play a detrimental role in forgetting what is in front of you. Most important to her is protecting her children at all costs.
Can you talk to me a little bit about why you wanted to get involved with McCain's campaign, Teatime to Talk, and why it is important?
It resonated with me because I think we can all be a little bit guilty of not spending the amount of quality time that we should with our families. McCain has done some research on the cost of living crisis - it's become very clear that people are definitely getting affected by this and communication with their families is getting less and less. This is just such a fun way of trying to bring people together. We've come up with 52 conversation cards to try out with your family around the dinner table. It's about trying to make those mealtimes a little bit more of a place to catch up.
What do mealtimes look like in your house? Are you a big advocate for all sitting down together?
Yes. It's tricky sometimes because the kids are still quite young. If they have played football after school and they're so hungry, I have to feed them first. But even if the three of them eat together, I will always sit down with them. We'll confiscate the iPads and the mobile phones and just try to just check in with each other. That's our norm, in amongst the children constantly trying to get up and leave the table - because that's what kids do, they get distracted so easily. The conversation cards worked really well for my boys actually. When you engage them with something, and it almost feels a bit like a game to them, they really do respond to it.
What are some of the conversations that have started from the cards?
One of them was quite relevant because their school is about to hold a talent show: 'Your friends at school or work are going to hold a talent show. What do you do to impress them?' My kids are always like, 'You can come and sing mum!' but they add, 'We're too shy to do that.' They're not quite ready to perform. Bobby's really into his Rubik's cube at the moment. So he's like, 'Oh, I can get my time down on my Rubik's Cube and use that as my thing.'
That’s so lovely that there’s that crossover.
It's just like a kickstarter, isn't it? Another one is, 'What superhero would mum be if she was going to be a superhero for the day?' They love that because it's like you find a level with them.
Which superhero did they say you’d be?
They said, 'You are already a superhero because you've given birth to three children!' I’ve drummed it into them - you do realise the biggest superpower that there could ever be is procreation!
What advice would you give to families that are maybe struggling to connect during the cost of living crisis?
The research shows that 42 per cent of families find it quite hard to spark conversations, which is quite sad actually. I think people need to remember how important it is to lean on each other. Your family, the people closest to you, the people most like you, the people that you can trust are the people that you should be talking to. I think so much now, people turn to social media and turn to strangers for advice, almost to make them feel good.
How do you approach difficult conversations with Justin and your children?
Bobby in particular is starting to ask those tricky questions already. You just want to be as honest as you can, but then there's also an element of having to protect them at a certain age. Justin is very good at these kind of conversations and gives them an answer that is true, but he also doesn't tell them more than they need to know at this time. They always feel like they can trust us, but equally, you want to protect them for as long as you can. The good thing in our family is that we're all quite a chatty bunch. Mine do seem like they feel really comfortable coming to me about anything and everything, which at the moment, I'm really happy about. I know as they get into teenage years, it may turn into a grunt [laughs]. But at the moment, they're quite happy to talk to me about everything and anything.
I've never experienced mum-shaming - unless I'm in ignorant bliss.
What kind of tricky questions is Bobby asking?
The obvious awkward questions about how a baby's made. I'm like, 'Oh, we're not ready for that yet. You're only eight.' But often they come home and they’re telling me stuff that they've learned at school. Their little brains are so clever. I feel like I learn from them as much as they learn from me.
Does the world of social media and the fact so much communication happens online scare you as the boys get older?
It really does. I know it's unavoidable because it's just the way that people live. It's the speed as well - the idea that everything should be quick and everything should be instant. For me, it's sort of a new world, but for them, it's all they've ever known. I just wonder at what point does that slow down? I feel like this generation might actually get to a point where they knock everything on its head and just be like, 'Actually, it's cooler to just not be on your phone, not be watching TikTok 24 hours a day and actually engage with human beings because there's nothing more interesting than an actual person!' But we'll see. At the moment, it does seem that teenagers are very much engrossed in the social world.
I really hope you’re right about this generation knocking it on the head!
We are all guilty of it, we can’t pretend that we’re not. We all work from our phones, so it always feels like there’s something important that needs to be responded to.
Mum-shaming is really big online at the moment. Have you experienced this? What are your coping mechanisms when it comes to trolling?
I haven’t actually experienced it – unless I’ve just not looked at it and I’m in ignorant bliss. There should never be any of that type of shaming going on. We all have challenges, we all have struggles. I take everything online with a pinch of salt anyway. I think it's the only way to live otherwise you just get too consumed with everything. Some days, I think, 'Oh god. You know, maybe I should post today.' I feel pressure that I should because everybody is. But then I'm just like, 'Do you know what, no, I'm not going to because it doesn't matter. I'm just enjoying my day with the family, with the kids. I just don't feel like I've got the capacity or time or energy to try and construct a post. I'd rather just live in the moment.'
What did you get up to on Mother’s Day?
It was lovely actually. That's an example - I didn't actually post on Mother's Day, really. I adore my mum, she's literally my biggest superhero. I was out for lunch with her. The kids spoiled me with breakfast in bed and flowers. But when we were out, I was like, 'I'm just enjoying this conversation.' Members of family popped in during the afternoon and we were just like enjoying family time - to even think of trying to post was taking away from that. So I didn't!
Have you got any fun family plans for the rest of the year?
We've got a couple of family holidays booked, which is always nice to look forward to because my sisters and I have got lots of kids all the same age, so they love hanging out together.
McCain's Teatime to Talk conversation cards are voiced by Kimberley Walsh, and available to download now, for free, from www.McCain.co.uk, Spotify and other streaming services.