{"id":2245435,"date":"2026-01-22T12:14:13","date_gmt":"2026-01-22T12:14:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/?p=2245435"},"modified":"2026-01-22T12:14:13","modified_gmt":"2026-01-22T12:14:13","slug":"victoria-and-david-beckhams-family-dramas-have-made-me-think-about-parenting-my-sons","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/victoria-and-david-beckhams-family-dramas-have-made-me-think-about-parenting-my-sons\/","title":{"rendered":"Victoria and David Beckham\u2019s family dramas have made me think about parenting my sons"},"content":{"rendered":"

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As a celebrity editor, I\u2019ve interviewed some of the biggest A-listers but very rarely am left starstruck. Apart from on two occasions. One was getting to interview Andre Agassi who I grew up fangirling \u2014 and the other was a meeting with David Beckham, who at the time was launching his new Whiskey brand.\u00a0<\/p>\n

While the first does not resonate with my three sons, the latter does of course as everyone has heard of the Beckham name. So much so, when the news broke of Brooklyn\u2019s scathing Instagram words<\/a>, my family\u2019s group chat went into overdrive.<\/p>\n

It also came at a time when my eldest son \u2013 a year younger than Brooklyn – was about to turn 25 and I was pondering the words to write in his card telling him how proud I was of all his achievements and how much I loved him. It made me immediately think how sad it must be for a son to fall out with his mother in such a public space, on a platform shared to his 16.8 million (and counting!) followers.<\/p>\n

I, of course, have nothing in common with the Beckhams \u2013 apart from having three sons. I have had the pleasure of chatting to David who was absolutely charming and am the biggest fan of Victoria\u2019s makeup line \u2013 so much so I write about it all the time. And I\u2019ve never met their kids but, like the rest of the world, I\u2019ve watched them grow up.\u00a0<\/p>\n

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\u00a9 Suzanne Baum<\/span><\/div>
Writer Suzanne Baum with David Beckham<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

But as a mother of three sons aged 25, 24 and 16 I know the joys and challenges that come with bringing up boys. Happily, the joys have far outweighed the challenges and I know I\u2019m fortunate to say I don\u2019t actually remember a time when my kids have been troublesome \u2014 apart from fighting over the Xbox and rudely removing me from the room when Spurs are on. I\u2019m pretty sure there have been screaming matches and banning of electronics and I\u2019m definitely not the perfect mother, but it\u2019s been pretty smooth sailing \u2014 perhaps helped by the fact I have a very chilled out husband!\u00a0<\/p>\n

My kids have occasionally, when little, been in the spotlight because of my job \u2014 I\u2019ve written on family matters, had the TV crew filming at home, taken them on press trips and, when desperate, used them as case studies \u2014 but that all stopped when they reached an age where they didn\u2019t want their faces on TV or in the papers. And of course I respected that. Even now they are older, they only allow me to post a photo of them on my social media on birthdays or special occasions like New Year\u2019s Eve or when my son ran the marathon.<\/p>\n

And I get it. Social media can be such a toxic platform, which we have seen from the rifts and spats going on between families in the public eye. And it\u2019s no wonder Brooklyn\u2019s message hit like a bombshell.<\/p>\n

What really shocked me the most was the description of Victoria dancing. \u201cShe danced very inappropriately on me in front of everyone. I\u2019ve never felt more uncomfortable or humiliated in my entire life,\u201d Brooklyn wrote. I mean, that conjures up all sorts of questions and it\u2019s no surprise the Internet is awash of memes of his mother dancing.\u00a0<\/p>\n

That said, I recently wrote an article defending Amanda Holden who got attacked for being over the top at her daughters 18th, saying I do exactly the same at my kids\u2019 parties. I\u2019m the first on the dance floor and with a couple of drinks dance like a maniac. But of course this wouldn\u2019t happen at my son\u2019s wedding \u2014 and whether or not it actually did happen or has been taken out of context, only the Beckhams and their guests really know.<\/p>\n

As for supporting my eldest son, it saddened me when he flew the nest for university and then moved abroad last year but at 25 he is his own boss and I\u2019ve learnt you can never hold back your kids\u2019 dreams. Girls have of course come and gone and I\u2019ve never felt threatened by them. In fact, I love it when girlfriends come to my house and as a beauty editor I let them raid my make-up work cupboard. I\u2019m the one left more bereft than my kids when things don\u2019t work out.<\/p>\n

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