Gemma Hunt: ‘your child doesn’t need a perfect parent - just a present one’

Gemma, what do you find difficult as a mum?

I think it’s fair to say that parenting has never been a walk in the park—but wow, in this digital age, it feels like we’re facing a whole new level of challenge. Our own parents had their struggles too, of course, but now we’ve got smartphones in our pockets, social media on demand, and AI popping up in everything from homework help to shopping lists. It’s fast, it’s convenient… but if we’re honest, it’s also exhausting.

Sometimes I wonder how present we really are with our children these days.

You have a daughter – how old is she and how do you see this challenge playing out in your household?

I’ve got an eight-year-old daughter—longed for, prayed for, and absolutely treasured. Like every child, she is a precious gift. But even with all that love, I’ve caught myself choosing my screen over her far too often. You know the scenario: she’s chatting away, showing me something she’s made, and I’m nodding while scrolling through a message or replying to an email. I’m there—but I’m not really there, if you know what I mean.

Then one day, she brought me a drawing.

On one side was a mummy staring at her phone, labelled “Bad Mum.” On the other, a mummy down on the floor playing Barbies, labelled “Good Mum.” I asked her, a bit sheepishly, “Which one am I?” She ……