That’s a pretty daft thing to say, considering I’ve been a mum for more than seven years.

Today, though, I felt like a ‘real mum’.

After picking the boys all up from school and loading them into the car, I drove into town and dropped Harrison off at the martial arts club where he has started this week. Whilst I was there, I arranged his lift home with his friend’s nan.

Once we got home – after a detour to Co-op to pick up a cucumber which Alex apparently LOVES now – I put our tea on (cottage pie, a bit of a deviation from the meal plan!), and whilst that was cooking, took the various forms and letters from each of the three bookbags and signed them, putting important dates in my diary. It was then time to put a wash on because they’d all managed to get something all over their school sweatshirts.

After dinner, and once Harrison was home from his club, it was time for homework. Harrison had to read and do times tables practice, Alex had to read his school book, and I always try to get Ben to sit down and do something, even if it is just drawing spiders, stick men and trains. It’s good practice for when he’s older! We also came up with a timetable for Harrison so he knows when he needs to do what. Suddenly we have gone from one club a week and just having a reading book, to three clubs a week, reading, times tables, maths, a project, and brass practice!

Now, as I switch off from parenting for a bit and leave Graham to do the bedtime routine, it’s hit me how much of a mum I’ve felt tonight. Nothing out of the ordinary has happened, but it’s all very typical mum stuff. Organising homework, clubs, washing, dinner. Something that a few years ago would have been my idea of hell, but is now my normal – and I like it!