International Women’s Day is all about women and their supporters across the world joining together to advocate for women’s rights, gender equality, and equal representation.
This year’s theme is ‘give to gain’ – join Betsy and myself and #GiveToGain – strike the pose 2026 – show the world your huge embrace and don’t forget to share your awesome photos with us! 🤗
My #PocketRocket
It’s true to say that children are the gift that never stops giving! They give you love, a lot of stress, and joy as well as so much more… The list is endless!
But one thing that my Betsy-Boo continues to give me is inspiration – to never give up, to be strong and #GiveToGain.
It’s true to say that bringing up a girl is completely different to a boy and possibly a little more challenging – all though the jury is definitely still out on that one…
I don’t think I was naturally born to ‘raise girls’ and it always makes me laugh when I think back to my NCT group days when I was pretty much the only mum to be feeling happy in the knowledge that I was having a boy rather than a girl. Second time round, I’d convinced myself that I was having another boy, so it came to be a bit of a shock when they told me I was in fact expecting a little girl. I’d always been a blue girl, a bit of a ‘tomboy’ and had and still find girl friends hard work. The colour pink wasn’t even on my radar!
Nothing however has prepared me for the bond I have with Betsy and the love I have for her. She is my #BestGirl and I love her company. She’s very giving and I’m very proud of her but it can feel like walking on a tightrope at times.
In case you didn’t know my Betsy-Boo loves her #gymtastics! It’s fair to say that Betsy looks like a gymnast – small and compact. One of Betsy’s lovely school teachers calls her ‘Persil’ – small but mighty, a nickname that has stuck! When she first discovered gymnastics (aged 4) we never thought this was the beginning of a growing passion which she now can’t get enough of!
Betsy started doing gymnastics after being diagnosed with Coeliac Disease which you can read about here: Betsy becomes a coeliac – #MyWorld – four years on, she is now a more focused, confident girl and a huge part of that progress has come from her gymnastics.
This weekend Betsy took on her first National Development Plan (NDP) Grades for South East Gymnastics. She was so nervous (as was I) but she amazed me, inspired me and dazzled me with her strength, beauty and passion for her sport. She never gives up and her focus and commitment on the gymnasium floor is her gain. She thankfully passed and made the top ten for three events, individually ranking 12th for her age and year of birth. So proud of her!
But also I’m proud to have strong family members, friends and colleagues (past and present) that represent women’s voices and talents. Betsy is so lucky to have this support network around her too – she has and continues herself to be inspired by her fantastic teachers both past and present at Badshot Lea Village Infant School and at William Cobbett – but also her gymnastics family – her fab peers and their parents and her talented gymnastic coaches for giving her the gift to believe #ThisGirlCan!
I’m really excited for her future – women such as Simone Biles, England #Lionessess are totally inspiring and other’s such as our late Queen have left us with a lasting legacy – female empowerment. The Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games has also marked a turning point in the journey toward gender equality in sport as never before have women had so many opportunities to compete, nor such a central role in the Olympic programme. Campaigns such as ‘This Girl Can’ and impressive female achievements are everywhere, however depression and anxiety are very real threats.
It’s true to say that being a mum is learning about strengths you didn’t know you had, but also dealing with fears you never knew existed and one fear that I have is how I go about making sure that I raise a strong independent daughter. What’s the secret in raising a happy, confident girl?
Confidence is something that Betsy really struggles with – we all need praise, but Betsy needs that little bit extra – reassurance that she can do something! Being told that ‘This Girl Can‘ and also to never to give up! Loving yourself has to be a good starting point and something I definitely have to work towards daily! Research shows that how a girl feels about her appearance is largely determined by how her mum regards her own. Here’s hoping that when Betsy sees me taking on a running challenge, wearing no makeup and dancing around the kitchen that I’m teaching her to love her body!
Whatever the future holds, I promise to do my best to help Betsy-Boo become her best, well-rounded self who will celebrate being a girl and her achievements as a women. I am so proud of her – she’s a gift that’s giving inspiration and a lot can be gained from that!
Thank you Boo!
This #IWD2026 let’s Give To Gain for gender equality.
#MyWorld 
It is so amazing to follow Betsy’s gymnastic journey to greatness!! Can’t wait to one day see her at the Olympics!
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