Entertainment

20 Times Kate Middleton Proved To Be a Modern Parent

EntertainmentPublished Mar 31, 2020
By Martha Sorren
Kate Middleton taking George and Charlotte to schoolSplash News

Every mom has her own approach to parenting, and even though Kate Middleton is a member of the royal family, she has a more modern approach to being a mom. A lot of the things she does, we would have never seen Queen Elizabeth doing with her own children. But it's a different time now, and the Duchess of Cambridge has learned from some of the best how to raise her own kids.

On a recent podcast appearance about motherhood, Kate raved about her grandmother's style of parenting. "I had an amazing Granny who devoted a lot of time to us -- playing with us, doing arts and crafts, and going to the greenhouse to do gardening, and cooking with us -- and I try and incorporate a lot of the experiences that she gave us at the time into the experiences that I give my children now."

Her grandmother isn't the only person who helped influence Kate's way of parenting. She also spoke fondly of her father and mother on the podcast. "I had a very happy childhood. It was great fun and I'm very lucky I come from a very strong family. My parents were hugely dedicated. I really appreciate now as a parent how much they sacrificed for us," she said.

But there also seems to be a bit of Princess Diana's influence on Kate's parenting. No doubt Prince William told Kate about his own childhood and how his mother was able to give him and Prince Harry a semblance of normalcy even as they grew up royal. There are things Kate does now with her kids that Diana used to do with her sons, like take them on royal tours, give them lots of affection, encourage them to be silly, and more.

Kate's taken everything she learned from the women in her life, and used to it inform her own style of parenting. Here are all the times she was a royal mom with a modern twist.

1/20
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Trying Hypnobirthing
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Trying Hypnobirthing

This modern way of giving birth uses self-hypnosis techniques and relaxation methods to ease the body during labor. Kate admitted on a podcast that she used this method to give birth. It's rare for a royal to be so honest about such a private moment, but it's just one way that Kate is breaking down previous barriers and showing that she's a modern parent unashamed to talk about her labor process.

2/20

Taking the Official Photos of Her Kids

For most of the royals, professional painters and photographers do all the official portraits of the family members. But Kate is a photographer herself, and she usually takes the official family Christmas card photo every year, as well as the official birthday photos of her children and first day of school shots. She's the first royal mom to do what so many others are always doing on their own iPhones.

3/20

Sending Her Children to 'Regular School'

William's father, Prince Charles, was home-schooled during his early years, but Will and Kate made a different choice for their kids. Right now, Prince George is in first grade at the same private school where his sister, Princess Charlotte, attends preschool. Sure, it's not the same as sending them to public school, but it's a big change from how things used to be done.

4/20
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Wanting Her Kids to Be Friends with All Kinds of People
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Wanting Her Kids to Be Friends with All Kinds of People

It would be easy to keep her kids sheltered from "normal" life and to have them grow up with other children of nobility. But Kate reportedly wants her kids to make friends with people outside the royal family so they grow up well-rounded like she did as a "commoner." British media commentator Neil Sean told Fox News, "Both Kate and William … like the idea of having [their kids] mix with all the other children of their age to make friends and enjoy a normal childhood without the confines of royal life."

5/20
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Showing Affection
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Showing Affection

Those who have watched The Crown can see how the Queen and Prince Phillip were not necessarily pillars of affection toward their children. Neither was Prince Charles to William. Kate, however, approaches motherhood like Princess Diana in terms of not being afraid to hug her children and show them affection, even in public. The old way of parenting where children were "seen and not heard" is out, and Kate's modern way of showing love is in.

6/20
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Buying Halloween Costumes at a Supermarket
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Buying Halloween Costumes at a Supermarket

Guess what our kids have in common with Kate's? We all celebrate Halloween, and Kate also buys costumes from the grocery store. Last October, Kate was spotted in a UK supermarket called Sainsbury's shopping for Halloween outfits with Charlotte and George. It was also the first year the kids got to carve pumpkins for the big holiday. Royals, they're just like us.

7/20

Running Her Own Mom Errands

The duchess doesn't just take her kids for a normal day of shopping, she's also been caught running errands while her kids were in school. She was spotted shopping for books and even opening her own car door. Surely she could have sent a royal assistant to do the book shopping, but we love that she went and did it herself like any modern mom would.

8/20
Taking Her Children to Events-placeholder
Taking Her Children to Events
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Taking Her Children to Events

Kate's been taking the kids on her world tours since Prince George was only 10 months old, because no parent wants to be away from their children for too long. But that wasn't always the way things were done in the royal family. The Queen and Prince Phillip once left their children behind for six months to go on a 12-country tour. Prince Charles and Princess Anne were both under 5 at the time. Good thing that things have changed since then.

9/20
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Getting on Her Kids' Level
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Getting on Her Kids' Level

One of the best parenting tricks Kate has is kneeling next to her children to get on their eye level. Parenting expert Martina Mercer told the Express that it demonstrates "communication, understanding and ... love" for a parent to do that. "She understands the importance of being on a level with children and not towering over them," Martina said. "This has been a trend in the last few decades, as psychologists have explained that it has many benefits. It removes the fear of the parent while utilizing eye contact and connecting with the child on their level." 

Actress Anne Hathaway heard about this trick of Kate's, and now she uses it too.

10/20

Prioritizing Mental Health

The duchess is passionate about helping people see how important mental health is in addition to physical health -- especially for us modern mothers. "If any of us caught a fever during pregnancy, we would seek advice and support from a doctor," she once said at a children's charity function. "Getting help with our mental health is no different. Our children need us to look after ourselves and get the support we need." 

She even opened up about some of her own struggles as a mom to show that everyone battles being overwhelmed by parenthood at times.

11/20
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Making Her Kids' Birthday Cakes
Max Mumby/Indigo/Getty Images

Making Her Kids' Birthday Cakes

In December 2019, Kate revealed that she loves baking homemade cakes for each of her children's birthdays. "It's become a bit of a tradition that I stay up 'til midnight with ridiculous amounts of cake mix and icing and I make far too much. But I love it," she said. This falls under another task that Kate could definitely hire someone to do, but it's so much more special that she does it herself.

12/20
Cooking as a Family-placeholder
Cooking as a Family
Samir Hussein/WireImage/Getty Images

Cooking as a Family

Mom's not the only one who loves to play around in the kitchen. Kate recently revealed that the whole family likes to get in on helping make dinner, especially pizza. (Yes, the royals eat pizza, apparently.) She thinks it helps the kids express their creativity and independence to get to be a part of the cooking process, and we love that she's so hands-on about it.

13/20
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Doing School Drop-Off
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Doing School Drop-Off

No nannies in sight here! Kate makes sure to drop off and pick up her kids just like any other mom, as long as her work schedule allows for it. That came in handy when Charlotte got a little shy on the first day of school to have her mom there to make her feel a little more comfortable about the whole thing. When Prince Louis starts going to school, he can likely expect his mom to pick him up and drop him off as well.

14/20
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Supporting Her Son Taking Ballet
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Supporting Her Son Taking Ballet

It's 2020, and boys can take ballet lessons just like girls can. (After all, most ballet performances require male dancers.) When the world found out that Prince George was taking dance classes, people had varied reactions, but it's just nice to hear that Kate's supportive of whatever her son's passions are -- no matter how outdated people's mindsets may be.

15/20
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Sending Out Online Birth Announcements
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Sending Out Online Birth Announcements

Prince George's arrival into the world was heralded in the traditional way -- an easel outside Buckingham Palace with the information about his birth on it. But Charlotte's was much more modern, with the royals posting the birth announcement on their Twitter and Instagram accounts. That's also the way Meghan Markle and Prince Harry issued baby Archie's announcement.

16/20
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Having a Picnic Lunch
Max Mumby/Indigo/Getty Images

Having a Picnic Lunch

In summer 2019, Kate took all three of her kids to watch their dad play polo, and it was basically the most normal day we've ever seen them have. They had a picnic lunch with Kate and Louis sitting on the grass and George and Charlotte sitting in the opened trunk of the car. Kate even had plastic containers to carry the food in. It looked like a scene out of our own childhoods.

17/20
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Playing Around
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Playing Around

At another polo match a couple of years ago, Kate ran around -- in a dress and wedges no less --with her kids. We would have never seen the Queen do that with Prince Charles, but the duchess is just a regular mom chasing her children around and having fun on a sunny summer day. She really shows that it doesn't matter if she's a royal, she's a mother first.

18/20
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Calming Down a Tantrum
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Calming Down a Tantrum

Since she's in the public eye so often, we've gotten a chance to see how Kate parents when one of her kids melts down. She's usually able to calm the situation quickly, and reportedly she uses the magic phrase, "Let's take a break," to encourage George, Charlotte, and Louis to stop, reassess, and reapproach the situation. It seems to work well for her.

19/20
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Letting Her Kids Be Silly
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Letting Her Kids Be Silly

Kate totally understands that kids are gonna be kids, even if they're at a royal event having their photo taken. So she didn't get mad when Princess Charlotte stuck her tongue out at a bunch of photographers in August 2019. In fact, she laughed right along with her daughter. She is basically the definition of a "fun mom."

20/20

Dealing With Mom Guilt

On a more serious note, Kate doesn't hide her insecurities about motherhood. She opened up about how tough it is to balance work and being a mom, even with all the help at her disposal. She admitted she sometimes feels that mom guilt that she's not doing everything right. We all feel like that at times, and it's nice to hear that even being a royal doesn't magically make motherhood a snap. 

We're all in this beautiful struggle together.

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