Child behavioural expert Amanda Jenner has criticised former Made In Chelsea star Louise Thompson for comments made about un-potty-trained children in Reception classes. Thompson and her partner Ryan Libbey discussed the statistic that one in four children start school without being fully potty trained on their podcast He Said, She Said, with Thompson admitting she was 'shocked' and Libbey saying it was 'a raw deal' for teachers. The pair laughed during the exchange, which some listeners found mocking.
Thompson later issued an emotional apology on social media, saying she had 'tremendous admiration' for mothers struggling with potty training and that she was 'so sorry' for upsetting anyone. However, Jenner, author of the children's book series Mory's Magic Milestones and creator of the award-winning My Carry Potty, told the Mirror she was 'very upset' by the comments.
Jenner said: 'I appreciate that she apologised, but I'd have expected better of her. The laughing was like she was taking the p*** out of the children. It felt a bit Mean Girls. It upset me all day after I heard it. You're a mum, you should know better, and it was mum shaming.' She added that the Special Educational Needs (SEN) community was particularly upset, noting that some children may still be in nappies for reasons beyond parental control.
Jenner, who has worked with families for 25 years and is a regular toddler expert on ITV, emphasised the challenges of parenting: 'We should all hold each other high. It is not the easiest job in this world to bring up a child.' She also questioned whether parents would laugh at a child for not walking on time, calling the comments 'just wrong.'
