Christine McGuinness cruelly mum-shamed for chicken nugget Christmas dinner and ‘parenting f*ck up’
AS a devoted mum to three children diagnosed with autism, Christine McGuinness is often praised for her parenting by fans, as well as for raising vital awareness about the condition.
However, the 35-year-old model – who shares twins Leo and Penelope, now 10, and daughter Felicity, seven, with ex Paddy McGuinness – is still subjected to cruel ‘mum-shaming’ comments and like many celeb mums, often feels she has to defend herself.
It hasn’t always been an easy ride for Christine and Paddy – who last year announced they’d separated after 11 years together – with each of their children, as well as Christine herself, diagnosed with autism.
It’s a complex condition which means they can struggle with social interaction and communication, and Christine has been praised for raising vital awareness, most notably in documentary, Paddy and Christine McGuinness: Our Family and Autism.
Twins Leo and Penelope were diagnosed with being on the autistic spectrum at the age of four, while their youngest daughter Felicity, was also diagnosed when she was three.
Heartbreakingly, Christine even admitted in the past that she “blamed herself” for the struggles they had before they were diagnosed, and that she felt like a “rubbish” mother.
Here, with parenting expert Kirsty Ketley, we take a look at how Christine deals with any comments or negativity about her parenting, and how she defends the decisions she makes as a parent to children with more complex needs…
‘Too much’ time in the gym
In the past Christine has chosen to hit back at vile trolls who criticised her and said she spends too much time at the gym instead of with her kids.
Speaking at the time, she told the Sun Online: “The people who say horrible things don’t see me on the school run, doing appointments for the kids, because I keep some things private.
“So it hurts when they say those things. They don’t know me. My children are my life.
“I make no apologies. That’s just a snippet of my life. When I turned 30 I realised life is for living… Most of the time I’m with my kids. “
Kirsty says: “Exercise, of any kind should be in all parents’ mental health toolkits and I don’t think we should be tearing down any parent who chooses to relieve their parenting stresses working out.
“Taking a break from the kids and taking time for yourself is important, for both parents and children.
“It is also worth noting, that what Christine shares online, is just a snippet of her life and so while it may appear she is always in the gym, that is not necessarily the truth.”
‘Beige’ Christmas dinner decision
Addressing her decision to give her kids fish fingers and chips on Christmas day, Christine pre-empted the negative comments she would get.
Taking to social media, she explained why they didn’t have turkey and all the trimmings, saying: “Because autism doesn’t stop for Christmas day! They like what they like and I want my children to eat so I choose my battles and I don’t want one today!
“For anyone who may not understand this, food aversion can be quite common for those with autism.
“This isn’t lazy parenting or fussy children, this is sensory issues due to their condition that limits what our children eat. I am delighted they are very slowly exploring new textures.
“It may be basic and it’s still all beige but they’re happy and their tummies are full.”
Last year Christine also revealed she’d give the kids chicken nuggets for Christmas dinner, if that’s what they wanted.
Kirsty says: “Christine’s children have autism and aversion to food and sensory issues are a common trait, but autism or not, what she feeds her kids on Christmas day is up to her.
“Lots of children hate Christmas dinner and I always advise serving up something your child will eat alongside the turkey and sprouts, because who wants miserable children on Christmas Day?
“If they would rather pizza or mac ‘n’ cheese, so what?”
Screen-time at the table
The topic of having screens at the dinner table can be a controversial one.
However, thankfully when Christine explained on Instagram why she had allowed Nintendo Switches while out for food with the kids, she was met by a lot of support.
Explaining the reason, she said: “It was a new place for them, and there was other people around too! All of this is meltdown territory.
“Of course we took Nintendo switches, our own water bottles and Pokemon cards (Home comforts and familiarity is a must)… This is huge for us!
“Usually we don’t even make it to the table as different surroundings can be upsetting for our children.”
Kirsty says: “Having children who are autistic means her children will likely face many challenges and eating out, in unfamiliar settings is something that could cause them to feel anxious.
“Having screens at the table is always a divisive topic and in an ideal world, it wouldn’t happen, but, when you see kids glued to screens, it is important to park your judgement and look at the bigger picture.
“Are those screens, like in Christine’s case, soothing anxious children?
“Do those parents just really need a break?”
Cruel comments
When the twins were little, Christine was left shocked and upset after overhearing one of the other parents making cruel comments about them while at a play centre.
Speaking on Instagram, Christine said at the time: “Play centres are a challenging environment for my kids anyway. But they done really well. They loved it.
“I did over hear a lady complaining about my children. She complained about the noises they were making.
“She said, ‘there must be something wrong with those children.’ It broke my heart.
“They were just happy, they were squealing and laughing and being loud.”
Kirsty says: “Sadly, many people are ignorant when it comes to understanding autism, and while, as Christine pointed out, people should see past autism and see that her kids are happy.
“People should also be more understanding of children who they meet, who don’t match their close-minded ideology of how children should look and behave.
“All children are unique and should be celebrated, regardless, not judged or labelled as ‘wrong’.
“A side note on this, too: If we want our children to grow up being tolerant and without any kind of bias or discrimination, we, as parents, need to be showing them how it is done.
“Our behaviour and our words are all being taken in.”
Parenting ‘f*** up’
At the beginning of this year Christine effectively ‘trolled’ herself, telling her followers about her parenting “f*** up”, after hilariously getting the back-to-school dates mixed up.
She said: “It’s only the 2nd of January and I’ve already f***ed up!
“Told the kids they were going back to school tomorrow didn’t I – turns out they’re not.
“I’ve been doing this whole countdown calendar, bags are packed, and uniforms are all ironed, hung up and ready to go.
“I’ve even polished their shoes. Yeah, they’re not going back, are they. They’ve still got a couple of days off.”
Kirsty says: “I feel Christine’s pain! December is such a full on month when you are a parent, that I am sure that Christine is not alone in getting her dates mixed up.
“Let’s face it, we’ve all done it, right?”