• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
Clare Mackintosh – US

Clare Mackintosh - US

The Sunday Times bestseller

  • Home
  • Discover More About Clare
    • Media
  • Books
    • Get Exclusive Signed Copies
    • I Promise it Won’t Always Hurt Like This
    • Other People’s Houses
    • A Game of Lies
    • The Last Party
    • Hostage
    • After The End
    • I Let You Go
    • I See You
    • Let Me Lie
    • A Cotswold Family Life
  • Events
  • Blog
  • Contact
  • Join Clare’s book club

Confessions of a Bad Mother

June 16, 2010 By Clare Mackintosh

My nanny cooks for the children. When she prepares their food she makes extra child-sized portions and fills the freezer for the days when she’s not at work. When my husband’s working late and I can’t be bothered to cook, I eat them.

The children received more than their own body-weight in Easter eggs. I ate them all the same week. My husband didn’t notice until several months later when I told him I had rationed them and given the kids a small piece each day. He applauded my restraint.


I drank like a thirsty fish during the first two months of my second pregnancy. In fact I only realised I was pregnant when my hangover wouldn’t shift. Now two, the twins make a grab for the Chablis when I open the fridge.

I use CBeebies to distract the children when my husband and I are upstairs having sex.

I am always late for the pre-school run. My nanny walks all the way and is always early. I can’t let the teachers see she is better than me, so when it’s my turn I put the children in the car, park round the corner and pretend we’ve walked.

I have taught my three year old to put on DVDs, fetch drinks and prepare his own snacks. He’s just having trouble getting the measures right for the perfect G&T.

Last week I wanted to have an uninterrupted yet technically un-necessary telephone conversation with a friend. I sat in the park for an hour and let my children go feral, eating litter and playing with discarded cans of Special Brew.

On a number of occasions I have given my children Calpol when, strictly speaking, they didn’t have a fever. But they were whinging and I needed them to sleep.

I have a rule that I never drink alcohol before the children go to sleep. Sometimes I close all the curtains at 5pm, play a pre-recorded episode of In The Night Garden and send them to bed.

Confessions of a Bad Mother may be followed by Confessions of a Bad Wife. If I can be bothered.

Filed Under: Parenting

Primary Sidebar

Categories

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Twitter

Subscribe to Clare's newsletter

Join me and a community of thousands of book lovers. Every month you'll receive access to behind-the-scenes content, industry insights, exclusive giveaways, discounts and much more.

As a thank you, when you sign up, I'll also send you my personal reading list: fifty books I loved, that you might love too.

Please wait...

Thank you for signing up!

Copyright © 2010–2025 Clare Mackintosh · Log in

  • Home
  • Discover More About Clare
  • Books
  • Events
  • Blog
  • Contact
  • Join Clare’s book club