Mum's The Word! The Parenting Podcast - EMMA CONWAY: Going Mad Sparked Me Into Thinking About Perimenopause

Episode Date: January 26, 2026

This week on Mum’s The Word, Georgia Jones is joined by Emma Conway, better known online as Brummy Mummy Of 2, for a chat about midlife, motherhood, and everything in between.Emma opens up about navigating perimenopause, her experience with HRT, and why we need to be talking about this stage of life far more openly.She also flips the script on parenting older kids, sharing why having teenagers isn’t actually all bad (yes, really).And because no Mum’s The Word episode is complete without a bit of joy and chaos, Emma also talks about her self-proclaimed love for the second man in her life, the one and only Gary Barlow, as well as Georgia revealing who her secret celebrity crush is.A Create Podcast Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Welcome back to Mums the Word. I'm your host, Georgia Jones, and today I'm joined by the amazing Emma Conway. She's the face behind Brummy Mummy of Two, an author with books such as, Will I Ever Peelone Again, Poems for Mums, and as well as being the self-proclaimed world's biggest Gary Barlow fan. More on that later.

So grab a cupper, get comfy, and let's jump in to a brand new episode of Mums. the word. Emma, welcome to Mum's the Word. Hi. You're like a little ray of sunshine, sat off. I'm really hot.

She's really hot. She's glowing, guys. She's glowing. She's having her first... Highlighter and sweat. First, like, yeah, you don't really need your highlighter on, to be honest, do you?

So, welcome. Do you know, the first thing I want to say is I've just seen that you've had your colours done. Oh my gosh, I have had my colours and it was so exciting. Is this one of the colours that you are? This is one of the colours. I mean, it does see. Green and blue is coloured.

So like the blue of this, perfect. Maybe even yellow, green. I'm a spring. You're a spring girl. I thought it was going to be in autumn. So it was a bit of a shock to the system. See, I always feel like you give like spring summer vibes. Yeah.

Like when I look at your content, it's bright and it's bold and it's. So I would never have put you autumn. I am obsessed with autumn. Is that just because you like awesome? I just love it. I'm like one of those. weird Halloween, like I thrive in autumn. But I'm a spring.

It was a shock to the system. I'm coming to terms of it. Whenever I see those, the colour matching on Instagram though, I haven't always sat there going, don't see, I can't tell. You know, and they change it from one colour to another colour and I'm like,

I can't see any difference. I think either I have gone mad, but I can't, like, I've looked back at, it says don't wear black for me. It's like, do not wear black. Right. And I've looked back at things where I have worn black and I do look a bit like drawn out.

Yeah. So maybe, or am I just going mad? I don't know. Hey, listen, a little bit of madness is fine. I might get minded actually. Do it, do it. Because, God, what if I have to change my entire wardrobe though? That's the issue.

My friend had it done and they wear loads of black and then they were told no black. I mean, you can just wear what you want, can't you really? But it's just a bit of fun in it. Yeah. Who did it for you, by you? Style by Suzy. Style by Suzy. There's loads online and I did it. You send a photo of you like.

no makeup. Oh dear. And then it's like real, and afraid of like, you're just like, your brawlet and your leggings. And she said back, it's so lovely.

It's like, she said my vibe was girl, it wasn't wacky girl next door. It was somebody like that. I love wacky girl. Girl next door with an edge. With an edge? With an edge.

With an edge. I was like, oh, yeah, yeah. I do have that. Told my daughter. She was like, mm. Yes,

15 year old girl. She's like, yeah. And my mom's got an edge. They're like, yeah. So when you just said then about having to do a picture where you're not like just not smiling, I can't do pictures without smiling anymore

because of this, which is called something like your nasal labial folds and I'm not even joking, right? I know that is a fanny, but it's, I swear to God. I mean, I really hope I've not got that wrong. Like, you know this bit? Yeah, what is it? So as I've got older, if I don't smile,

it's like dropping like that. Mine's my neck. I can't cope. Gravity. Gravity. It's just... But also, it's collagen, which leads me on to what I want to talk to you about, which is perimenopause. Perimenopause.

Now, Emma, my content, my content, not my content, my content I'm consuming online, has changed dramatically. I would say the last six months, because I no longer want to look at people that have newborns. I want to look at women that are having hot flogel. Yeah. That are forgetting things that have brain fog.

Me. And they're the women I'm relating to now, which is partly euphoric because I can watch people and I understand. Yeah. But partly quite depressing. Look, don't be depressed. Okay, it is a bit depressing. It's depressing. It is a bit depressing, but you know.

We're both dry. Sat here. Dry and sweating. We're dry and sweating. We're wet and wet another bit, but not the right bits. I'm getting hot as well now, so listen. Look, it is depressing, but I think we need to take solace that we're going to be the kind of first generation to lead the way. So when people like my daughter get to this age, they'll be like, oh, we know more about it.

Because when I found out it was perimenopause, I cried so. Because I was like, oh my God, I'm old. I cried and cried. So what was it that sparked you to think, oh, something's changed? engine? I went mad. You went mad. Yeah. Please tell me more.

Okay, so I think I started when I was about 42. I'm 48 now. Right. And I had anxiety. Driving anxiety was horrendous, like driving on the school run literally like that. I'd bump into the curb or like I'd reverse into a park car. It was awful. Did you feel like your spiritual awareness had altered a bit of it?

No, I felt like a nana, like a little. But do you think... Awful? Were you like Hissing Cairbs because you were panicking? Or was that... I think it's a bit...

I think it's almost like misjudging if a car's coming towards me like... Yeah, do you know, God, that is interesting because I actually do feel a little bit like that one. It's very common driving anxiety is a very, very, very common one. Lots of my followers get it

and it actually has knocked my confidence a bit. Oh, Emma, that's a shame. Yeah, so that was a bit rubbish. Crying love. Obviously, hot sweats weren't too bad then. Oh, that came later. Being really cross at my husband for no reason. He's such a nice man.

And I would sit there and he'd just be watching the telly and I'd be like, you're livid. I'd be fuming and the poor man is just watching, you know, stranger things or whatnot and I'm like, and would you show it? Would you kind of like, or would you just silently see? I'd silently cede and probably snap and he's like, what the heck is going on?

So that started at 42. So then from 42 to 45, I went to therapy a few times because I thought I was losing my mind. So I had two sets of therapy. And at no point did the therapist think to say, do you think it could be perimenopause? She just let me come. And then we did go to the doctor once

and I bought Stephen with me to kind of back me up what I was saying and they just fobbed it off. Isn't it mad that as women, we feel like we have to have that back up? Just to explain that we're going through something in which every, well, I think every single woman

goes through the menopause, don't there? Well, yeah, like a six woman, yeah, yeah. Unless it's, unless it's like brought on or you, you know, have your womb removed. Yeah. Well, no, because then you're in full menopause then,

aren't you? So if you have a history, you're full menopause then. Right, right, right, got you. Yeah, because my mum, because I don't know when my mum would have had her menopause because she had breast cancer.

Yeah, so she would have had it. She went into her very early and it was a very short one. So, who knows? with that. But yeah, so you, so mad that we have to have that back up in this day and age, it is, that's another topic, but I mean, yeah, he came with me and he was just like, sometimes she's like, and you know what, they still ignored it, so that was annoying. And then I got to 45 and it was the point where I was very snappy on work emails, which is very

unlike me. I'm like a friendly person, but my temper was flaring really. And I was like, I can't live like this. I went back to the doctor and when I said, I was hysterical. I was crying so hard and she just touched my arm. And she went, I'm going to change your life. And I went, oh my gosh. I'm going to make a girl. I'm going to change your life. And she's like, you need to go on HRT.

And I was like, but I'm so, I'm a child. She's like, you're 45. I was like, you're going to have, you're going to go on HRT. And I was like, when do you want to start? I went immediately. Like, give it to me now. And you know what? In the first year, I had to tweak it.

Yeah. If you're giving HRT, you can go back. change it, up it, double it. What was the reason you had to tweak yours? It just didn't seem to be as working as well. It kind of worked well at the start and then kind of I could feel it coming again. Right.

So did you take tablets or have the patches? First of all I took tablets and then I moved on to, so you do a gel on your leg, alternate thighs and trying to remember which thigh you did it before. I now have to have a whole system where it's left thigh on odd day, right thigh on an even day, because I couldn't remember what thigh I was putting it on. I mean, just saying maths to me to try and remember something.

I couldn't. I'd be like, going to put it on, I'm like, which thigh was you alter it? And then the night you have a tablet. It's like when you were breastfeeding, I don't know whether you did breastfeeding, forgetting which boob you'd done last. I couldn't remember. I mean, this might help you, but I used to do the hair bubble trick. Did you ever do that?

So whatever was the last one, you'd just, have a hair bubble around that. I honestly would forget, because of the brain fog, I would not move it. No, I did that. It would just be like that. And I'd be like, right, right again then. So it alternated. And then if it's a 31st, just put half and half on each.

You just double. Like, fine. Right. And you feel like that's really, really, really helps there. It's really, really, really helped. Yeah. Because I think one of the tough things is lack of sleep and waking up at kind of half two in the morning and just ruminating over things and you're wide awake. Sometimes I'd wake up and it would be

fight or flight. I'd be like, you know, I'm so anxious. Awful. And that's why I went to therapy, but that's all kind of dissipated. Now I've had the HRT. Now you've had HRT. Do you kind of feel like you don't need that, you know, therapy? I'm still a bit crazy sometimes. Okay, we all that. Yeah. And the driving anxiety still is a little bit there, but it's so much better. And I know not everybody can take HRT, which is tough and I am very lucky but yeah I highly advise it yeah well I think I might just go and get you know that you can have the test done now which I think people don't even know about the trouble with the test is it's kind of based on something like hormones and stuff that aren't always there at certain times of the month so ladies can go for the test and then they can

get there and they'll be like no you're fine but it's just the wrong time in the month so what I advise is write every symptom down. Right. That's what I did. So when I went in, I was crying, I was like, this is my list. I'm shouting at my husband, my driving, I'm crying, I don't sleep.

Yeah. So you've got the evidence. And because I was 45, they took it a bit more seriously. I think that's it. I think when you are a bit younger, you're almost not taken quite as seriously. One of my best friends, actually,

who's 39, same as me. She's just gone on HRT because her symptoms very, very similar to yours. And she wasn't taken seriously. And then she eventually went in and she did her research. Like she went in armed, ready to go. And she was like, this, I've got this, this, this isn't this. And yeah, they were like, right, HRT for you.

And she has noticed such a big difference. I was actually talking to my sister, who's a doctor in Obs and Guine. Because I said to her, I said, God, because I've been having hot flushes. That's probably been my main thing. And it's like her. It's like you've suddenly stepped into it open. Yeah. And it's the sweat.

like dripping. And I don't have a cleavage, but it's a river. It's a river down my sternum down that wide gap. There's a little titty commissia over here. But even my tits are sweating and I don't have any. I'm like, what is this? It's just obscene and like my top lip and just... Night times I found really bad.

I'd wake up and I'd be like my pyjamas. And that does with the HRT, that does like calm down. But you still get, you know, I still get certain little symptoms. maybe I need to tweak it again. But I've been on it for three years now and I sleep much better. Much better. My husband doesn't just annoy me just by breathing.

He's like, for you. The husband can watch Shelley in peace now. Without me like, er. Certain times of the month, yeah, I would say a slam a little bit. Yeah. But it's... Did your periods change? So, yes.

Your periods do change. So sometimes I'd have two in a month. Fun. Great. Fun times. We love that for us, don't we? And then sometimes I'd have none. Right.

And then sometimes, so it, and I was a very regular as clockwork. Yes. Girlie. And I had like my little apps every month. Doop. Doop. So then it is a little bit like, you have to always have like, you know, tamillon on all times. Yeah.

Because I was around a pool and I was like, because it just comes out of nowhere. So that is very annoying. That is super annoying. But if you go a year without having a period and then you continue, then it continued. then you're in the menopause. Ah, I see. So I've had some followers who've gone to like 10 months and then got appearing. They're like back at the beginning and again, they're like, wow.

That's mental, isn't it? Yeah, that board game, frustration. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Right, okay. Sorry, I totally went off on a tangent. I was saying about my sister that I said to her like, oh, you know, I'm getting these symptoms. Brain fog, but brain fog's a tricky one. Because you know when you're a mum and you're like, do I have brain fog?

or is my brain just full? Is it very different? Yes, it is different. I actually get quite, that's one of the things I get quite upset about is I don't feel as clever as I used to be. And that does make me... Oh no, this is how this is dire.

That does very frustrate me. So words will vanish. Yes. And I'm kind of used to it now. My kids and my husband are trying to work out what I've like, like sometimes technology will. just honestly I was driving down the road no this is crazy I was driving down the road just

yesterday and I thought to myself am I on the right side of the road like oh my god should I be on that side look like my mind was like and I thought do you know it's muscle memory it's muscle memory I'm not this is this is it I am speaking so much sense to me I sometimes do it I'm like just like what year is it yeah what year actually is it yeah yeah and I'm like that that can't be a normal thing to not remember words vanish I um you used to do stuff for work and, you know, I'd record a podcast, not press record. That happened several times. Yeah. And just words vanish things.

And now I try to be like kinder to myself. If it happens, I'm like, it's fine. The word will come. Yeah. The kids understand what's going on. But at first, I think, you know, some people can start to think they've got dementia because they really. Yes.

I think there's so many things you can almost like panic and go, God, is this like early onset of dementia? Or have I, am I going through the perimenopause? Or am I just tired and my brain's full? And it's really difficult to actually like, no. Do you know where I've noticed loads when I've been watching loose women? Oh yeah.

The amount of those women that must be going through the menopause because you see them all either. One of them often has a fan with them. And there's been so many times where I've watched it and I'm like, they've just forgotten that. Yeah, it's gone. It's just gone. It's just gone.

So it's quite like watching loose women for that reason. I mean, I love loose women. But I quite like watching it for that reason because I'm like, they're on national television. And they're just, oh, net. And they're in brain fog. That's great. When I was watching Stranger Things,

obviously it's been 10 years, hasn't it? And I was watching it and the plot was like I could not grasp that plot. Whether there's when I first watched it 10 years ago, I knew all, you know, all the characters. This, I was like, we could pick on Googling. Like, what is happening in Stranger Things? It's very frustrating. And I find it, it does make me a bit sad.

Yeah. It's hard, isn't it? Because you feel like, like, like the other day I was talking about traitors with some people that were younger than me and they knew every name of every person and I was like, just remind me what does that one look like? Yeah.

What does that person look like again? And they'd explain it like, oh yeah, I know who they are. Could I for the life for me remember a single person's name? I think they're combined with motherhood as well because our brain is full of that, especially with two teenagers and busy schedules and stuff. So my brain is full. Yeah.

And maybe the small capacity of, got left I'm using for them. Yeah, yeah, that's a tiny little part. I'm prioritising for them rather than for me, but it is frustrating. That's, it's a shame. Right, so I basically, this is what I keep doing. I go off on a sandwich, but what I was going to say, I will get there. Your sister, hot sweat, I will get there.

Sweaty boobs. And I said to her, even if I am in perimenopause, I don't want to take it, I don't want to take anything. Lauren went, no, no, it's good for you to take something. I was like, what do you mean? She was like, it's a positive thing. She was like, it stops, like, what's it? It stops, osteopority.

Yeah. There's definitely benefits. Like, you should take it if you are going through perimenopause. Don't think that by not taking it, you're winning. Like, because. Yeah, I think it's, I think there's a bit of a stigma. Like, as I said, I, when the lady told me, I felt old. It was so weird.

I felt in that second, because I think we're always taught that people in menopause are like these old, like, haggard, like witchy women and we're not like just in our 40s and we're thriving and we're still working and I got in the car and I found my dad up and I said how does it feel to have a peri men of causal daughter dad and he was like oh my god oh my god old now I feel old but your dad was like oh god yeah so but when it started working I was like my gosh that thank goodness for this yeah did you feel like it gave you a little bit of like a new lease of life oh yeah yeah if I if I'd not done it, I don't know what I would. It would just would have been awful.

I don't know how would I kept on working. It's just awful. For anyone listening that thinks they might be going through early stages of like perimenopause, what advice would you give them? I would definitely say if you are kind of under the, if you go at 45 plus, you should be taken quite seriously anyway. But under 45, I would say maybe spend a few months and log all your symptoms. There are apps like flow and stuff where you can.

log all your perimenopause or symptoms and then go in armed. And if they try and fob you off, be like, well, no, because you can go private. There are private places. I didn't do that. I just went by my local doctor. Yeah. But just go in with exactly how you're feeling. Yeah.

So they can't fob you off. Do you feel like there is a difference between seeing a female and a male doctor for that? The lady that said, I'm going to change your life. was a female doctor. However, my male doctor has been really, really good. Okay. So the only experience I've had, they've both been really good. Yeah.

I'd say the first lady I saw, because at my surgery you see like different doctors. It's not the same person. Yeah, same. She was an older lady, so she did par me off a little bit. Right. Because maybe she's from the, well, we just got on with it guys. But the male doctor was very, he was the one that changed it and was very nice about it. Okay.

Yeah, well that's reassuring to know as well because I feel like some women would probably be a bit anxious seeing a male doctor book. Yeah, no, he was great. Okay, well that's really good. Do you have an insatiable fascination with the paranormal? Are you ready to dive headfirst into the eerie realms of the unexplained? Brace yourself for the supernatural world

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or just starting to dip your toes into the waters of the supernatural. Paranormal activity with me, Yvette Fielding, is your ultimate destination. Will you dare to join me? Listen to paranormal activity with me, Yvette Fielding, wherever you get your podcast from. So, moving on from perimenopause, but it needs to be a thing that is talked about Mar,

and you're doing a very good job at that. So well done you, thank you. So you have got two teenagers. I have. Good Lord. Now, for me as a mother of a seven-year-old, the thought of teenagers, number one, makes me feel really sad.

Oh, yeah. I think because then you've lost you, I feel like I've lost a little boy. Number two makes me panic because the stuff that teenagers are into compared to the stuff that a seven-year-old boy are into are very, very different. And I'm dreading the day when he's like,

I'm just going to take my girlfriend now and my boyfriend out. I'll be like, oh my God, what? What I mean? I thought I was a love of your life, but I'm not anymore. I'm going to be a horrible boy mom. Yeah, I know. All my best friends like Georgia, be nice. I'm like, I will. I will, as long as she's nice or he's nice, I'll be fine. So how is it? And I think you've got quite a positive outlook of teenagers, haven't you? I have a 13-year-old boy and a 15-year-old girl, so I've got the best. both, experience, both of things. And one thing I will say is, from my experience,

the stuff that we might have got up to when we were teenagers, I don't think is as prevalent today. Really? I think post-COVID, I think people don't tend to go out at, like, you know, underage drinking and stuff. Like, then I was in the 90s and that was just like, you know, there was no phones, nobody knew what we were doing. We're at clubbing at 14, yeah.

It's not really, it's not like that. They'll happily like go for a pizza or, you know, it's a bit, it's a bit more, from my experience. Yeah. It's a bit more gentle. I think the first time where they kind of like go to town by themselves, I don't, we call Birmingham Town. Yeah. Oh yeah. Yeah.

And I call London Town. Yeah. First time they go to town, you're like. Oh my gosh. And that is really difficult. And also like mobile, given them the mobile. phone. I literally, I was like, oh.

When did you do the mobile phone? I stand by the term before they go to secondary school. Okay. Because getting a mobile phone is so super exciting. Yeah. You need to get it out your system. Right. So give them a term when they're at primary school.

Maybe when they're at primary school, get them to do, I used to drop mine off and then kind of sit in the car and watch them do the walk by themselves. Yeah. Into Prime School. And they've got their phone. And you will have some, you know, some, you know, some, WhatsApp group. There will be some sort of like drama between something. But then it's out of their system. By the time they get to secondary school, it's just something that they've got. Yeah.

Mine didn't have social media until they, they, they're 13. And then, only then, they've only got one thing and it's private and I monitor it and I watch it. And you watch it. Yeah. I think that's the key, isn't it? Just monitoring things. Because I know one of my best friends, she is separate from her husband, it's very difficult to monitor her boy's only little, but he plays when not in her care on roadblocks. And you can chat on that. And I think it can be a dangerous world, the online world. Like, luckily for us, in our group school chat, in our class group chat, someone mentioned about mobile phones and they were like, if everybody is on the same page, we don't think anyone should have them. Yeah. I mean, they're only seven, yeah, yeah.

and everyone was on the same page. I think it was really strength in numbers for us there. But that's the thing. It's the minute someone has one. You will find people who've got older siblings tend to have them a bit younger. And, you know, my kids were like moaning, you know. Yeah.

But I'm like, nope, your 11th birthday. That's your present. It's one of our old phones. That's your present. And I'm like, uh-huh. Handed it to them. And then we did have my,

daughter wanted to go on one of the apps. I mean, she's 15 and she did a PowerPoint presentation. Oh my gosh, brilliant. I love her. She's with all the family safety feature. And at the end, it was Sabrina Carpenter and coming out of her mouth, it said, please, please, please let Erin have this. Brilliant. She was using song lyrics as well. I mean, you couldn't not after that, really, could you? I was like, mm. But it's very, we do watch it and got to let them grow up. And you do, unfortunately, have to let them make a few in a mistakes. Yeah. And the stuff that I was doing when I was 14 was crazy bananas.

Yes. Yeah. So anything that they're doing is nowhere near that. And do you not find, like, they're not interested in going out and boozing or anything like that. Like, even the generation like just below us aren't heavy music or anything like that or like going out to parties underage. Yeah. I mean, my dad used to buy me a four pack of. Hooch.

Hooch. Before I went out, underage. We used to have Mad Dog 2020. Did you have that? No. See, I'm older than you. So Mad Dog 2020, it was like Kiwi flavor. Oh, yeah.

Yeah, all like the Picardy breezes. And they went really exotic and did like watermelon. You're like, oh, God. With the sediment at the bottom. Yeah, yeah. You know how you'd have to like shake it a bit. Oh, it's a sediment. But I feel like that type of parenting that my mum and dad did,

don't get me wrong, they were strict when they needed to be. But they also, kind of like gave me a bit of freedom. And I think giving me that bit of freedom made me not want to push boundaries. Yeah, I was such a good girl. Me and my sister were such good girls. We were very, you know, my mom and dad, they were younger parents. We pretty much did what we wanted.

But we were such good girls. We didn't do anything naughty. We were, you know, in when we were supposed to and just, so you've got to let them go a little bit. And also life 360 is a godsend. What's, what? Oh my gosh, you don't know what? life for six years. Oh, this is amazing. So you can all join your family up and you can kind of

literally watch where they are at any time. So it was, so say when they leave the school, when they're, you know, where they're walking, it's really, really, really good. So that is great. See, I don't want anyone to see where I am because I quite like to just go and have a moment by myself sometimes. And I feel like, Danny would be like, I can see you in that coffee shop. Yeah. Or Erin's like, you're at McDonald's because you just go. Yeah. You can get me Costa. Can you have a Costa please? Thank you. But that is really helpful. And I do know, I'm 16 this year, and at some point, we probably are going to have to, like, maybe she'll start turning it off.

But at the moment, I think they quite like that they're safe. We all know what's going on. I've watched far too many, listen to far too many a murder podcast for me to ever allow Cooper to turn that off. I'm like, that will be on. Yeah, you'll be 40. All day, every day. Yeah, literally. No, we'll be.

You are going to be turning out. Yeah, it'll be married with kids. And I'm like, why have you turned, why have you turned that off? I'm watching you. No, it is good, but you do have to let me go. But so far, you know, we have eyes have been rolled, doors have been slammed, wet towels, you know. The hormones are. You have to have awkward chats about conversations you don't really want to talk to your kids about. Yeah.

And you're just like gritting your teeth. But you get things like last night, Erin and I were watching normal people, which, you know, it's a 50. It's rude, but it's a 15th. So we can watch like nice things together. We can go and, you know, Ethan, we went to, like, a concert together and it's just... Oh, did you? Yeah, it was so lovely. It's just different.

Yeah. I miss picking them up. Yes. And I miss sniffing them because the sniffing ain't quite nice. No, I know. I know what? The other day, Cooper had a Spider-Man costume on. Oh.

Right? And this happens with football shirts as well. Material. He is seven. He had full-blown. Yeah. Yeah, yeah. And I was like, whoa.

Whoa, what is this? You're meant to smell of nothing right now. Sometimes it's like when they're little, it's like just one pit. Just one pit. Danny gets that actually. Danny just gets one pit that smells occasionally. Yeah, you don't want to sniff them.

No, I was just like, no, you're a clean little baby. You're not meant to be doing this yet. I do miss that. I miss, I miss sniffing them. I miss picking them up. Do you ever go in at night time to give them a sniff? Do you think I'm in bed before then? I guess.

They're giving me a sniff. I'm really in bed before. Cooper as well. I'm like fast asleep and Erin's doing homework or listening to music or whatnot. No, if I walked in and you know, he used to watch them

rest of late. Maybe you still did it. If I did that, they'd think I was like a lunatic I was just like, what? Yeah, they'd shout at me, get out. Bounce off my head. But yeah, they're lovely. It's fun, but you have

a lot of friendship, perhaps stuff you've got to navigate when they're a bit older. Yeah. And you have to kind of take a back seat because people will be friends and they're not friends and then friends and they're not friends. See, that's what I'm finding really, really hard at the moment. I feel like it's just starting at the age Cooper is now

of like bullies. Oh. Like just people that aren't that nice. Yeah. And I think as well with Cooper being an only child, it's a bit trickier for him to understand rough and tumble. Yes. Because he doesn't have it unless it's with his dad

and he's going to go easy on him. Yeah. But it's a hard way to navigate and I've heard a lot of girl moms say that girls can be really mean. Girls can be really mean. I'm quite lucky because I went to an all-girls school until I was 18, so I'm like, does nobody's mean, you know, I know. I've seen every, I've seen every single, you know, type of mean girl.

So you just have to remind them that they can talk to you, they can talk to a teacher, remind them sometimes things are going at home, people's homes that we don't know about. People don't act like that unless there's some sort of reason. And also if it gets to, I've gone up the school. Yeah, well, yeah, you like, mum is going.

Yeah, and they like, you know, as long as you've got their back. But one thing I will say is they do fall in and out of friendships. Just be mindful of what you're saying because you know next week they're going to be friends. Somebody you've absolutely like gone, well, that. She's never. And then next to it, oh, I've been invited to so, so, the part. And you're like, ah. Yeah, yeah.

So, and also don't get involved with the other parents. Right. Okay. Because that was one thing I was curious about. Like, if someone's not been very nice to your child, would you ever talk to the parent? I probably would talk to school. The thing is, when they go to secondary school,

you don't know any parents. So is there no WhatsApp or anything like that? There is nothing. I think that might be the one thing I'm looking forward to then. Yeah, there's no WhatsApp group. Well, not any of that I'm in, because I'm not a huge fan of WhatsApp groups anyway, but that's just it.

I mean, saying that, the WhatsApp group is the only way I know what is going on because I am completely useless. You don't know anything when they're in secondary school. You have to like write stuff down. Oh my gosh. I mean, I do, if they're going, I say play date. It's not a play date, is it? I don't want you called like a hangout.

Hang. I do want to have the mum's number just to, you know, just to make sure I know where they are. Yeah. But yeah, you don't. It's so weird. How, how strange. Yeah?

That is really interesting. Do they like, so do they just kind of fend for themselves now then? Like, on a weekend. Do you, because obviously when you've got a little one, you have to plan things and you're, well, you're looking after them. Yeah. With your teenagers, are they just like, Mom, I'm going to go do theirs. Well, they do sports. So clubs are still going on.

They're both into sports. But they will be like, I'm going out for a cost of a so-and-so. And then they're gone and you're like, anyway, it's a little bit quiet. And then the worst is when they're both. And I'm going to go and do this to say-and-so. And then you're literally like, can I come? I actually got nothing on for the next few hours. It's so weird.

I think you spend a lot of time when you've got little kids craving alone time. Then when you get the alone time, you're like, oh my God, I'm alone? Yeah. Well, it's always that weird

though. You always seem to crave what you don't have at that given moment. Yeah. But I do understand they're not picking them up things. I saw, like, there's loads of those things. Oh, yeah. Last time I picked them up. And I was like, oh my gosh,

there really is good. And you're not going to know. You're not going to know when it. I mean, even now, Cooper, it's bloody heavy to pick up. It's like things like last time you'll sit and watch in the night garden with them. Just like, they're just like weird things that are like last time you go to a soft plate. I mean, I did hate soft play.

I mean, and in the night garden. When I hear that music, it's triggering. Triggering. But there's just, there's so many lasts. And but then there's loads of first. Yeah. And like, it is nice. It's just different.

Yeah. It's just a different stage. I wish I could go back. And the thing is we were taught when they're little, you're so tired. And now I'm not so tired. I wish I could go back as me now. Yes. Just for a day.

And not be tired. I always think that about like when people was like a newborn. I wish I could go back to that stage and be present. Because I was so not there for any of that. Like, and I'm like, look back at photos. I'm like, I don't remember. Yeah. I don't remember that.

Just wish you could go back. In that hairs. Right. Well, do you know what, Emma, I'm going to live in the moment with Cooper from now on. You say that. You won't. I won't. You're going to go home and scroll up.

my phone whilst I'm sat next to him, but you know. It's all normal, you know. It's supposed to be hard and, you know, and teenage years. I'll try. I'll try. It's going to be fine. It's going to be fine. We're all going to be fine, guys.

We've talked for absolutely years. But before I leave you, Emma, I just do want to ask you about the other man in your life that isn't your husband. Who is this? Gary Barlow. Oh, my God, I love Gary Barla. Everybody knows. And you see that he's been in your life.

for 33 years, but he doesn't know it. Oh no, do you know what? The other day, like, honestly, this is such a sad story. If you don't like tragic stories of loser women, turn off now, because this is a loser story. Hey, this is what wants to work about. I was like, in my house,

and I posted a reel, hadn't tagged tape that, hadn't tagged Garabalo. It was nothing to do we take that, but I was wearing a take that t-shirt. It was just like, anyway. And I got a message, and someone was like,

you do know Garibalo's like that real. And when, when I got that, I'm going hot, My reaction was, so I sat up, like, resurrected. I burst out crying. My husband was like, like, what's happened? Like, and I was like, and he's like, what? I was like, Garibolo's liked him.

And he was like, oh, right, okay. Okay. I love him. Oh, my God. Have you ever met him? Oh, my God. I have met him yet. I met him once.

The lovely people at Mum's Net a long time ago said, look, Garry Barlow's coming to our. offices we know you love him do you want to come and pretend you work for it and i got then they set me up at a desk and the laptop so i was like oh you know you're typing typing and honestly this is there was this smell right this woman opposite she went what's that smell i went it's gary barley what can you describe what it smells like please just fresh and gorgeous and you walk around and i was like do not look and then they went anyway this is emma um she's going to be doing our social media content and emma this is gary i was like

And I was like, I was so cool. You, because I'm like a car crash. Like I'm manic and hot and sweaty. But I, my inner, I was like, hello Gary. I work here. I'm very important. And then I sat down and I said, please me I have a photo. And he went, yeah, sure.

And I said, Gary, could we move to where the light is better? And oh my God, the photo is so good. I'll show you afterwards. Is it really? And did he meet all your expectations? Was he exactly what you hoped he would be? Yeah. Was he as tall as you thought it was going to be?

I'm going to say he's no. No, because I always feel like famous men, a majority of famous men I've ever had the pleasure of meeting, I'm like, wow, you're a lot smaller. Yeah, he's probably just a bit, probably not much taller than me. And my husband's like six foot two, so it's quite like a, yeah. Yeah, I just love take that. They've got a new documentary coming out.

Can't wait to see it. Maybe I'm going to be in it, like 14 year old Emma. Oh, you're probably, I mean, there's a strong chance. If you had been to a lot of concerts. Yeah. I just think they got it took my husband to see him a few months ago. It was just so much fun we had such a laugh. Oh, it was really good.

Do you know, I love that. I love people that are well into someone. My crush is James Bay. James Bay? Yes, James Bay. You know, the one with the hat and long hair. No. Yeah?

Is this brain fog or am I old? No, you're not, it's not because you're old. Is he a singer? He's a singer. He plays a guitar. What does he sing? He sings, pull back the river. Let me look you on.

Yeah, I can't. picture's face. It's very pretty. That was such mom dancing. Oh God, it was, wasn't it? Okay, as soon as you go, I'll show you the picture of me and Gary and you show me James Byrne. Have you met him?

I met him. Yeah. It was really awkward though because it was in my husband's dressing room. They performed together. Yeah. It's like a fantasy. And Daddy was stood watching me meet the man that I fancied. Were you like, I cried? Did he say anything?

You cried in front of him? I cried in front of him. And how did he react? He hugged me deeply. Oh, love him. Held me into his chest Is he British? Yeah?

Yeah. Oh, a lovely man. He was a lovely man. Oh, lovely. And that will live in my head, rent free for the rest of my life. It's fun, isn't it? It's fun.

It's a bit of fun, yeah. And on that note, I've had so much fun with you, I know, though. It's been lovely. What a great end to my week. Oh, thanks for having me. A little ray of sunshine to talk to. But if anybody wants to follow you,

where can we find you? It's by my mummy of two, and it's not spelled like you usually spelled brummy B-R-U-M-M-Y like Brumia is in mummy and then people get across because in Birmingham

we don't even say mummy Oh with an O with an O yeah and it's spelled mommy even in schools so it's like and they sell Mother's Day cards

with mom-on in Birmingham yeah that's very wow I feel like that's the first yeah you heard it at first guys it's mom yeah it's mom

so people get in up but yeah it's Brum with too across everything and you've got some books you've got a book i got i did have a podcast that i might bring back tell me your books again oh i just had a poetry book and sadly um it came out the week of covid great like literally it was really sorry about it was like people get you know the mother's day that we weren't allowed to see our mothers yeah yeah

so it's a shame but it's a shame it's a book of poetry called will i ever pee alone again i love that yeah and the answer is eventually no they're still coming now yeah it's terrible Great. Hopefully people won't be when like he's 30. I don't know. I think he's a bit old now keeps you to be in when I'm having a wee. But Emma, it's been so lovely having you. Thank you so much for coming on. Thanks for having me. That's a wrap on another episode of Mum's the Word. Thank you so much for joining us today as we were joined by the amazing Emma Conway. Don't forget to leave us a review. Follow us on socials at at Mum's the Word underscore pod and subscribe to our YouTube channel where you're

You can now watch our episodes in full. Just search Mums the Word. Until next time, I'm Georgia Jones, and this is Mums the Word. And we'll be back with another episode, same time, same place, next week.