Last year, I booked myself into a Travelodge overnight for a break from family life and was mum-shamed by strangers online. But like Frankie, who jetted off last month to Dubai with a friend — which is admittedly a bit more glam than my night in a budget hotel — I think that having some time to myself only makes me a better mum.
Lying on a giant double bed, I spent hours watching Netflix on my laptop, eating snacks, reading my book and best of all: enjoying the silence.
Like most parents — including Frankie Bridge — my life is hectic, juggling my business, writing, and looking after three children. As any mum or dad will tell you, if small kids could Velcro themselves to you, they would. Simple things like being able to go to the loo alone.
Can I come? And that has a knock on effect. I get snappy with them and act a bit like a petulant child who just wants to sit down and finish my coffee, rather than get the Play -Doh and paint out at 6am. Two years ago, Mark was a stay-at-home dad and needed a break from the kids, so he booked himself into a hotel. Going slightly further afield, he got a bargain room in west London and spent the afternoon watching Formula 1 in peace. He came back feeling like a new man, so I decided to follow his lead, downloading some episodes of Friends and Gossip Girl on Netflix and packing a small overnight bag with home comforts: my favourite mug, a posh scented candle, my best pyjamas, relaxing tea, snacks and my book.
According to the latest NHS figures, a record number of women are receiving perinatal mental health support and one in five women have a mental health condition. And so checking in at the front desk, I was giddy with excitement, if a little embarrassed that the hotel staff could check my address and clock I lived so locally.
