Kimberley Walsh on Cheryl's parenting style - and her *awkward* celeb playdate moment

Though they differ in those respects, it seems their 17+ years of friendship has made them very similar in one particular aspect: how they parent.

“Cheryl’s so warm, like me,” Kimberley told MFM. “She trusts her instincts, just like I do.

“She’s not – some people are quite by the book, aren’t they? If something’s not happening at the right stage, it becomes very stressy.

“I’ve got some friends that are just obsessed with every stage that they go through, whereas Cheryl and I both like to naturally let them find their way.

“And we obviously talk about stuff between us because they’re both the same age, they’re at very similar stages now. Cole’s just turning 19 months. I think Bear’s 3 months younger – and they sort of like catch up at that point and there’s not really any difference between them.

“We were always quite similar in, like, our morals and all of that stuff, so I think when you’re really close to somebody, you feel like you do kind of all parent in the same way.”

That’s not the case with all friends, of course. We’ve heard many a story of friendships lost (or strained) over key parenting stances ? – something Kimberley totally gets.

“Those other friends, you see the way they are and you’re like ‘Oh God, I couldn’t be like that’ – over the top.

“If they have a sweet, they’re like hyperventilating, but I think you’ve gotta pick the battles you really want to fight for. I think if you stop kids from having things, they’ll want it more.

“If I was like, ‘You are not EVER having sweets’, all they would want is sweets. They don’t have them much 'cos they’re only little… [but] I feel like if I made it into such a big thing, especially with Bobby, that’s all he’d want because I told him he couldn’t have it.”

Of course, 3-year-old Bobby and 19-month-old Cole have other famous playdate friends, besides little Bear.

Most recently, a playdate with soon-to-be mum-of-3 Giovanna Fletcher’s 2 boys, Buzz and Buddy, went awry – leaving Kimberley a tad red-faced.

“[They’ve] embarrassed me at playdates - where you just want the ground to swallow you up. Or just like, fast forward.

“I actually went on one to Giovanna Fletcher’s house. [Her boys] are so cute, and were so well-behaved on this particular day.

“Well the little one was only 2, so whatever he did didn’t matter, and Cole was fine, but Bobby - he gets so confident when he meets new people, an air of cockiness, a bit of swagger, and I’m like, ‘That’s not even you but I can see the glint in your eye and you’re not gonna make this easy’.

“He shows off. And I couldn’t find a way to connect with him to snap him out of it.

“It was like every toy one of them wanted he wanted – and you just feel like everything you’re doing is shouting at them.

“I said, ‘I’m so sorry’ [to Giovanna] and she was obviously like, ‘Don’t be silly’, but you can tell Bobby’s just the big personality. He’s so confident, not fazed.

“Still for me, I thought, ‘Oh God, why does it have to be my son that’s causing all the arguments?’ It doesn’t happen that often. And I think everyone has to experience a bit of that every now and again."

Too true ? Whether your besties are megastars or mere mortals like us, we reckon it’s safe to say we’ve all been there at least once ?

Have your say

Do you and your best friends parent in the same way? Or are you and your bestie at odds when it comes to mothering styles?

Perhaps you’ve had a particularly mortifying playdate-gone-wrong experience you’d like to share? Tell us on Instagram or Facebook!

P.S. Kimberley’s new kids’ range, Kimba Kids, is available from Next Online. Stay tuned for more of our chat with her ?

Images: Instagram/Cheryl

Read more:

• Kimberley opens up about her struggle to breastfeed
• How Kimberley knew she was pregnant - WITHOUT a test
• Family facts: Cheryl, ex Liam Payne and their son Bear