Mum Tribes and behavioural trends by Psychologist Jo Hemmings

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Published on Thursday, 02 February 2012 22:29

Last Updated on 02 February 2012

Monica Costa

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With the rise of mummy bloggers, yummy mummies filling magazine spreads and new research out from Philips PerfectCare revealing that British women are now busier than ever, psychologist and mum Jo Hemmings explores the behavioural trends that exist. How Mums can fit into different tribes and how their behaviour affects their lifestyle, their approach to childcare and their day-to-day life.

The Fretful Mum

The fretful mum is often brilliant at juggling childcare, looking after her home and her career. But she’s a worrier. Fretting that she’s never doing anything quite to her exacting standards, she’s forever looking for new ways to solve her problems and is often found with her head in a child care manual. But like 40 per cent of Mums experiences the ‘guilt factor’ and has that nagging doubt that she could be doing it better, faster or more effectively. She may lack confidence in what she’s doing and get stressed more easily than other mums.

Angelina Jolie and Sarah Jessica Parker are examples of fretful mums

The Competitive Mum

The competitive mum likes to stay one step ahead of the pack. She takes child rearing very seriously and will be one of the first to try a new method of weaning or potty training. Her child will often be the first to sit up, walk or pass his or her GCSE’s. She’s also bound to be on the PTA committee and get as involved as possible in her children’s lives. She can be a huge source of information and expertise for other mums, as she’ll have tried and tested everything first, but she might need to be careful of not coming over as too smug or making the other mums feel inadequate. Competitive mums are passionate in their role as a mum and something of a perfectionist. They may also be the most glam at the school gates!

Gwyneth Paltrow and Vanessa Feltz are examples of competitive mums.

The What Will Be, Will Be Mum

The ‘what will be, will be’ mum is often very organised and rational in her approach to child rearing and household chores. Like 92 per cent of women who multi-task their responsibilities, she is even-tempered and usually relaxed knowing what has to be done and just gets on with the nature of it all. She neither forces her children into certain sorts of behaviour or lifestyles nor allows them free rein. She’s quietly encouraging and well-balanced and coping strategies seem to come very easily to her.

Davina McCall and Holly Willoughby are ‘what will be, will be’ mums.

The Career Mum

The career mum was probably determined to ensure that her children fitted in around her job, rather than the other way around. She finds it perfectly acceptable and natural to combine working through most of her child rearing years and is happy to pay for the services that make this possible for her, including nannies, nurseries and domestic appliances that cut down on her household chores. The career mum fits in to 50 per cent of British mums working full time, who enjoy less than an hour of “me time” a week. She can be quite hands off on a day-to-day basis – and also expects her partner to do his share of the childcare – but ensures she has quality time with her children on the weekend.

Victoria Beckham and Samantha Cameron are career mums.

The Earth Mum

The earth mum is laid back and relaxed and is often happy for her children to evolve as and when they are ready. Not a natural disciplinarian, there are no set bedtimes for her children – they probably just go to upstairs to bed when they feel like it. While her household chores may be something of a work in progress – her children might be wearing clothes that don’t quite fit anymore or match well together, she may well be very particular about her children’s lifestyle, preferring organic food and holistic medicines. She is pretty chilled about child rearing in general, enjoying the spontaneity and lack of adherence to convention.

Madonna and Trudie Styler are Earth mums.

THE AUTHOR:
Jo Hemmings, Celebrity Psychologist, Relationship Expert, Author, Columnist, Broadcaster and Public Speaker

Jo is the UK’s No. 1 Celebrity Psychologist, Author & Broadcaster. A trained Behavioural Psychologist, Jo is a member of the Association for Coaching, the UK’s leading membership association for Professional Coaches. She specialises in the psychology of celebrity behaviour, whether A-Listers, Politicians, Sports Stars or Reality TV Stars, and was the Behavioural Expert of choice, discussing the contestants on 2009’s “Britain’s Got Talent”, appearing regularly on Sky and BBC News Channels.

Jo is the author of five successful books, writes regularly for magazines such as New! Cosmopolitan, Men’s Health, Zoo, Grazia and Glamour and writes a weekly celebrity language column, “Couples Close Up”, for More magazine and AOL, as well as regular celebrity comments and articles for most of the national press, including The Guardian, The Daily Mirror, The Times and The Daily Star.

Jo’s latest book is “Sex Games” published by Random House. Other books from Jo include ”How to Have Great Sex” “Be Your Own Dating Coach”, “Shoes and Shopping”, “The Little Black Book” and “The Dating Game”.