As a celebrity editor, I’ve interviewed some of the biggest A-listers but very rarely am left starstruck. Apart from on two occasions. One was getting to interview Andre Agassi who I grew up fangirling — and the other was a meeting with David Beckham, who at the time was launching his new Whiskey brand.
While the first does not resonate with my three sons, the latter does of course as everyone has heard of the Beckham name. So much so, when the news broke of Brooklyn’s scathing Instagram words, my family’s group chat went into overdrive.
It also came at a time when my eldest son – a year younger than Brooklyn - was about to turn 25 and I was pondering the words to write in his card telling him how proud I was of all his achievements and how much I loved him. It made me immediately think how sad it must be for a son to fall out with his mother in such a public space, on a platform shared to his 16.8 million (and counting!) followers.
I, of course, have nothing in common with the Beckhams – apart from having three sons. I have had the pleasure of chatting to David who was absolutely charming and am the biggest fan of Victoria’s makeup line – so much so I write about it all the time. And I’ve never met their kids but, like the rest of the world, I’ve watched them grow up.
But as a mother of three sons aged 25, 24 and 16 I know the joys and challenges that come with bringing up boys. Happily, the joys have far outweighed the challenges and I know I’m fortunate to say I don’t actually remember a time when my kids have been troublesome — apart from fighting over the Xbox and rudely removing me from the room when Spurs are on. I’m pretty sure there have been screaming matches and banning of electronics and I’m definitely not the perfect mother, but it’s been pretty smooth sailing — perhaps helped by the fact I have a very chilled out husband!
My kids have occasionally, when little, been in the spotlight because of my job — I’ve written on family matters, had the TV crew filming at home, taken them on press trips and, when desperate, used them as case studies — but that all stopped when they reached an age where they didn’t want their faces on TV or in the papers. And of course I respected that. Even now they are older, they only allow me to post a photo of them on my social media on birthdays or special occasions like New Year’s Eve or when my son ran the marathon.
And I get it. Social media can be such a toxic platform, which we have seen from the rifts and spats going on between families in the public eye. And it’s no wonder Brooklyn’s message hit like a bombshell.
What really shocked me the most was the description of Victoria dancing. “She danced very inappropriately on me in front of everyone. I’ve never felt more uncomfortable or humiliated in my entire life,” Brooklyn wrote. I mean, that conjures up all sorts of questions and it’s no surprise the Internet is awash of memes of his mother dancing.
That said, I recently wrote an article defending Amanda Holden who got attacked for being over the top at her daughters 18th, saying I do exactly the same at my kids’ parties. I’m the first on the dance floor and with a couple of drinks dance like a maniac. But of course this wouldn’t happen at my son’s wedding — and whether or not it actually did happen or has been taken out of context, only the Beckhams and their guests really know.
As for supporting my eldest son, it saddened me when he flew the nest for university and then moved abroad last year but at 25 he is his own boss and I’ve learnt you can never hold back your kids’ dreams. Girls have of course come and gone and I’ve never felt threatened by them. In fact, I love it when girlfriends come to my house and as a beauty editor I let them raid my make-up work cupboard. I’m the one left more bereft than my kids when things don’t work out.
In an interview a few years ago, Victoria Beckham discussed how to raise boys to be good men, insisting the teaching of ‘kindness’ is the key ingredient.
“They work really hard, and they’re kind kids,” she said in an interview with Grazia. “I think being kind is key now. There are so many horrible things going on in the world.” And I couldn’t agree more with how I feel about my sons. Sadly, this comment about being kind has turned on its head with Brooklyn’s claims.
However, while the idea of reaching a point where you cut all contact with a parent might sound extreme, it is far more common than society would have us believe. Throw in being raised in the biggest celebrity family ever, and when things go so badly wrong, as they have here, it is a recipe for disaster. So of course the story has cooked up a storm but I hope, somehow, they put a lid on it. It’s looking very unlikely though — and it makes me realise that being a normal, non A-list family isn’t so shabby.