Mums
The latest news, updates and features on mums and mother figures, including opinions on motherhood, and first-person stories on issues affecting mums and family life.
The latest news, updates and features on mums and mother figures, including opinions on motherhood, and first-person stories on issues affecting mums and family life.
![Story from Jam Press (Night Owl Family) Pictured: Emily with her husband, Jake, and their three children, Crew, Knox and Keen. ?We?re raising our young kids to be night owls staying up until 2am ? trolls says it's ABUSIVE, but we?re thriving? Parents of young children have revealed how they are raising them to be ?night owls? ? with unofficial bedtimes in the early hours of the morning. Emily Boazman has never been a morning person, and once she welcomed her three children, she decided to fully embrace her natural body clock. The 35-year-old is most productive in the evening hours, and homeschooling daughters Crew, nine, and Knox, seven, plus her three-year-old son Keen, means she can set their schedule accordingly. For the Boazman?s, that means having dinner after 9pm, playtime up until midnight, and most of the family tucked up by the early hours. But people on TikTok haven?t reacted well after Emily detailed a typical evening routine for the ?night owls?. ?I get thousands of hateful comments about how we are narcissistic parents for this lifestyle,? Emily, from Clovis, New Mexico, US, told What's The Jam. ?They come in constantly. ?They say that it?s abusive to keep the kids up so late. ?They say that they need sleep ? which they get, just at a later time than most ? and discipline, something they have as well. ?At first, it does suck [to receive these comments]. ?It?s tiny little gut punches, and it doesn?t feel great. ?But then I remind myself that people online aren?t directly related to me and I shouldn?t allow the comments to affect me. ?My sisters and their families, as well as our friends, are all night owls as well, so we have this little community of people that thrives during the later hours. ?It?s all we know. ?We love spending time with our kids, and they get 9-11 hours of sleep a night. ?It just works for us.? Sharing an example of a typical evening in their self-proclaimed ?night owl? routine, Emily?s husband Jake, 44, can be seen preparing dinner at 9pm, which they go on to eat at 9.30pm. By 11pm, Emily is giving herself a pedicure while her children play with toys, and often gets the bulk of the housework done between 11.30pm-1am. Their youngest, three-year-old Keen, finally goes to sleep at 11.30pm, with the girls Crew, nine, and Knox, seven, following shortly after midnight. Emily and Jake spend time with one another, finally calling it a night at 2am ? with the five family members often sharing a bed. The mum-of-three said: ?I grew up in a night owl family and my husband has always been a night owl as well, so it?s all we know. ?We just have never been strict about going to bed at a certain time. ?And that?s because all our family and friends are also night owls, so everything we do is just later in the evenings, and when we get home, we usually have stuff to do before they go to sleep. ?But they can?t stay up later than us. ?When we say it?s time for bed, they have to go to bed. ?They?re always free to go to sleep before us, though ? usually around midnight. ?My son will ask to go to sleep sooner a lot of the time, and we take him to bed. ?He takes late naps almost every day [too] and gets a lot of sleep!? Emily homeschools the children, often rising between 9.30am ? 11am. She said: ?There aren?t really any early mornings for us aside from meeting once a week for our homeschool co-op group at 9am, and church on Sundays at 10am. ?The kids do just fine on those days.? Meanwhile, Jake works as a district attorney and needs to be at work by 8am. Emily added: ?I don?t know how he sustains this life, but he said he?s always been this way, surviving on little sleep.? Despite the family being happy with their routine, users on TikTok criticised the idea. One person commented: ?This is chaotic. I can?t imagine growing up in this chaos.? ?Your poor adrenal systems,? another user wrote. Another shocked viewer said: ?There?s no way these timestamps are correct right?? Someone else called it a ?recipe for disaster later in life?, pointing out that the children may struggle to adapt to the working world. Emily responded: ?I have always been a night owl (as well as my entire family) and we all went to public school, college and worked days (6:40am-6:40pm). ?We just went to bed earlier, and it was no problem. ?We don?t love mornings and never have since we were little (when we woke up early every day and actually did go to bed around 9). We always despised mornings. ?But we adjust to our schedule and haven?t really struggled.? Other users were far more pro-Emily and Jake?s approach. One wrote: ?This makes me feel normal! We are the same exact way in our house with 4 kiddos!? ?All families operate differently - you guys look extremely happy and organised - I love it for you!? another person said. Someone else commented: ?Happy to come across this! If I ate before 7pm, I?d be so hungry. We get up around 7-7.30 to start our day and get to bed anywhere from 10-12.? ENDS EDITOR'S NOTE: Video Usage Licence: (NON-EXCLUSIVE) We have obtained a non-exclusive licence from the copyright holder. A copy of the licence is available on request. Video Restrictions: None.](https://metro.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/SEI_261482919-9683-e1754662126875.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&w=646&h=363&crop=1)
![Story from Jam Press (Mum Ditch Kids) Pictured: Amanda Moss. 'I left my SIX kids behind in the UK to start over abroad ? men do it all the time so why can't I?' A mum who left her six kids behind to ?start over? says that other women shouldn?t be shamed for doing the same, as ?men do it all the time?. Amanda Moss left everything ? including her husband and high-earning job as well ? when her business collapsed in the UK. She saw an opportunity to ?start again? abroad, so she ditched Liverpool and jetted off to Ayia Napa, Cyprus, to replicate her former success there. And while people slammed her for being a ?terrible mum?, she has no regrets. In fact, the 53-year-old believes more mums need to start being ?selfish? and leaving their families behind. ?I see so many women shrinking to fit into society?s expectations and losing their identity,? the published author told What's The Jam. ?Reclaim it. ?Stop worrying about what others think. ?As long as your kids are loved and secure, then other people?s opinions mean nothing. ?People love to slam women, especially online. ?I?ve been told I look like ?a woman with three kids from three different dads?. ?There?s no accountability for the dads that f**ked off ? at least we stuck around. ?It?s just a misogynistic attitude towards women, especially those who are strong and don?t fit into the box that people want mothers to be in. ?[People] feel uncomfortable [with that]. ?It?s time to flip the script; make men responsible for their failings and stop piling it all on women.? Amanda, who went from earning ?120,000 per year to ?50,000, left in May 2020. She also lost four stone and had a series of cosmetic procedures. Her top tip to ?break free?? Embrace the resentment. She said: ?Sit down and talk with your kids to see how they feel. ?If they?ve noticed you?re unhappy, like mine did, they may support the move. ?You aren?t abandoning them; when a relationship breaks down, one parent has to leave. ?Usually, it?s the man. ?We don?t stop being a mum, but we can begin to be ourselves again to make us better people in the long run. ?There will be resentment for being pushed into the situation and a lot of guilt for leaving. ?But you?ll grow. ?Never stop communicating with them; let your kids know you?re present in their lives constantly. ?And finally, live without regret. ?It?s an unnecessary energy that drains you. ?Kids adapt and thrive seeing their mum happy, rather than crying most weekends.? Amanda, whose kids [not named for privacy reasons] are aged 24, 23, 21, 19, 16 and 11, is now onto the next phase of her transformation: finding a man. While she?s already dabbled in a few Cypriot men, including those in their 30s, it?s proven a tricky task. She said: ?All men are disappointing and emotionally unavailable s**t bags. ?I haven?t been on a date in almost two years. ?I would like to find Mr Right, but my standards are very high and I won?t settle for breadcrumb affection. ?When I?m clubbing, they come up to me and say: ?You?re a proper MILF, ? it gives me the ick. ?I think I?m swearing off men for good.? Amanda, who wrote a book called You?re Going to Die So Do It Anyway, says women ?don?t get old, they get wiser?. She added: ?I?m not a carton of milk; there?s no sell-by date on me. ?People need to mind their own business. ?If they?re not paying my bills, then they have no say on how I live my life. ?I?m free ? and it?s about time other mums find that freedom, too.? ENDS EDITOR?S NOTE: All press are kindly requested to include a mention of Amanda?s book, You?re Going To Die So Do It Anyway, somewhere in the copy. Video Usage Licence: (EXCLUSIVE) We have obtained an exclusive licence from the copyright holder. A copy of the licence is available on request. Video Restrictions: None.](https://metro.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/SEI_260600002-fa44-e1754312395475.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&crop=180px%2C57px%2C1236px%2C693px&resize=646%2C363)
