The Duchess of Cambridge admitted she's turned hairdresser for her three children much to their "horror" during lockdown in a relatable parenting confession.
Like thousands of parents across the country, Kate, 39, revealed she is also struggling to adapt to new skills including homeschooling and keeping children entertained, while schools have been closed during England's third lockdown.
The Duchess joined in a light-hearted discussion on Tuesday with three parents, whose children attend Roe Green Junior School in Brent, alongside the school's headteacher to share their experiences of parenting during the pandemic.
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WATCH: Kate Middleton reveals she's turned hairdresser for her children to their 'horror'
Kate made her confession about trimming Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis' hair during a 'show and tell' exercise on the video call.
Headteacher Melissa Loosemore asked the group a series of quick-fire questions such as 'Describe parenting in a pandemic in one word.'
The royal mum held up the word 'exhausting' while other parents showed similar sentiments, including 'hectic,' 'patience' and 'challenging'.
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Kate made the relatable confession as she spoke with parents
After being asked to expand on her chosen word, Kate said: "I think as parents you've the day-to-day elements of being a parent, but I suppose during lockdown we have had to take on additional roles that perhaps others in our communities, or in our lives would have perhaps supported us and helped us with."
The Duchess added while laughing: "I've become a hairdresser this lockdown, much to my children's horror, seeing mum cutting hair.
"We've had to become a teacher - and I think, personally, I feel pulled in so many different directions and you try your best with everything but at the end of the day I do feel exhausted".
Kate's conversation with parents built on some of the key issues that were raised in the Duchess' landmark survey on the Early Years, such as parental wellbeing and loneliness.
The research, which was released last November, revealed that parents struggle to prioritise their own wellbeing, in spite of the fact that 90% see parental mental health and wellbeing as being critical to a child’s development.
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The Duchess spoke with parents whose children attend Roe Green Junior School
The Duchess was joined on the call by Nicole Seidemann, a mother of four, who talked about the importance of exercise to her mental wellbeing while parents Musadiq Subar and Rajana Panchani reiterated the critical value of peer support for parents during this tricky time.
Rajana spoke about how she had been forced to adapt the goals for both her children and herself as the homeschooling experience went on, saying: "I used to start each day with a list of things I wanted to achieve that day, and I shouldn't have bothered because you can't do all of those things anymore because you’re balancing your current role if you're working and balancing two different children's timetables, you've got a husband or a partner in the mix which is always complicated!
"You've got to still get the supermarket shopping in and you’ve got to do everything else and I find that list of things I’ve got to do every day is just not practical anymore.
"I think I'm satisfied at the end of the day once you’ve done a couple of the important things and that’s good enough."
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Kate spoke of the challenges of juggling work, home and school life
The group was then asked to write down who had been the biggest support to them during the pandemic, to which Kate paid tribute to her husband by holding up the word 'William'.
And in one hilarious moment, the self-deprecating Duchess admitted her maths skills needed some work as she held up a score of 'minus five' when the parents were asked to rate their maths ability after several months of homeschooling.
It echoed her husband William's confession on That Peter Crouch Podcast last summer after struggling to help George, seven, with his Year 2 Maths homework.
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Kate launched the Mentally Healthy Schools programme in 2018
Kate told the group: "Being able to share your own experience with others who are going through the same thing makes it feel less daunting and makes you feel less isolated, so it's really important to reach out to loved ones and friends.
"Despite all the challenges facing us, whether it's feeling a lot more hectic or pushed within the patience spectrum, it’s been so lovely to hear from all of you.
"I know how challenging it is juggling work, home life, school life and everything else that you as parents are doing, so really well done.
"Fingers crossed, let's hope for the positivity as you've all been saying. Make sure everyone looks after themselves - it's very hard to prioritise but it's definitely needed now more than ever."
Roe Green Junior School, which is where Kate launched her Mentally Healthy Schools programme in 2018, is currently open for children of critical workers and vulnerable children, and are providing remote learning for all its pupils at home, including a blended approach with daily online 'Meets', independent learning and other activities.
Launched in 2018 by the Duchess of Cambridge and The Royal Foundation in association with The Anna Freud National Centre for Children and Families, Place2Be and Young Minds, Mentally Healthy Schools is a free and easy to use website for schools, drawing together reliable and practical resources to improve awareness, knowledge and confidence in promoting and supporting pupils' mental health.
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