The Formula 1 paddock returns to Spa-Francorchamps this weekend for the Belgian Grand Prix and the third sprint weekend of the 2023 season. Max Verstappen claimed his seventh grand prix victory in a row last weekend in Hungary and now returns to a track he won at from 14th on the grid last year. The Dutchman is cruising to a third world championship this season and currently holds a 110-point lead at the halfway stage of the campaign to Red Bull team-mate Sergio Perez. EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW: Daniel Ricciardo is back – and this time he wants to go out on top Lewis Hamilton secured his first pole since December 2021 in Budapest but slipped down to fourth during the race. The Mercedes star will be looking to bounce back at a circuit he retired at in 2022, while McLaren’s Lando Norris is hoping to keep up his good form after two second-place finishes in a row. Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps is a staple F1 track and for the first time in 2023 will host an F1 sprint race, meaning there will be more action than ever before in the final meet before the summer break. Here is everything you need to know.

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Freshly cut roses. Sumptuous Marie Antoinette-style birthday cakes. Vintage Liberty dresses in Strawberry Thief fabric. Shetland ponies. These are some of the ingredients of my Instagram posts featuring my kids. I wouldn’t call myself a “sharent” by any means – someone who overshares their children’s intimate lives on social media in one long, parental “humblebrag”. But whenever I do post, it is picture-perfect. My kids look like they’ve walked straight out of a fairytale. But is it naff? Like tablescaping your kids? A form of digital narcissism? Is it, in its own unique way, a parental kind of “thirst trap”? To an extent, I’m luring others into a fantasy that doesn’t exist. I like to project a wonderfully idyllic life as a single mum... when quite frankly, it isn’t. It’s like when people try to woo their ex-partners back by posting shots of themselves half-naked and having the best time of their lives, despite crying into their pillow heartbroken all day and night. Some mums are professionals at posting perfect dreamy shots of their kids. Look no further than Carrie Johnson, Tamara Ecclestone, Stacey Solomon, and Kate and Rio Ferdinand. For celebrities and influencers, a picture-perfect ideal is the norm on social media – there are lots of cream interiors and matching Christmas jumpers. They might be promoting a homeware brand, or tagging a pram they got for free. Even when it’s tastefully done, like the former PM’s wife’s Instagram, it always gives the impression that motherhood is wondrous. That life is one big, happy Timotei advert. Even when celebrities try to be more candid, it doesn’t work. Mum-of-two Millie Mackintosh, formerly of Made in Chelsea, recently posted a “toddler tornado dump” on her Instagram. “I feel like it’s so easy to always share the nice, polished, life,” she wrote. “Well, today, I’m here to break that pattern.” The glimpse “into the delightful chaos” of Mackintosh’s maternal life included photos of a toothbrush and toothpaste on a bathroom basin, a bedroom littered with hair bows, and a make-up drawer with a few brown concealer stains on it. Really? Is that as bad as motherhood gets? For me, it’s simply more interesting to post magical rather than mundane shots. But why on earth do I want to present my kids as if they’re living in one long, tasteful pastel-coloured dream, where everything looks enchanting? No messy hair. No sleep deprivation. No kids bored out of their minds. I don’t require a filter, either – I’m already looking at life through rose-tinted spectacles, and expecting everyone else to do the same. But am I totally deluded? And, more than anything, could it be damaging to my children? Dr Charlotte Armitage, who is currently the duty-of-care psychologist on ITV’s Big Brother, has big concerns. “First of all, it’s impacting the relationship between the parent and a child because the relationship is contingent on the creation of these images and the number of likes that follow,” she says, adding that when you are “truly happy” with your situation, “you don’t tend to post perfect images”. It’s more important to ask ourselves the question of why we feel the need to present this kind of picture-perfect image of ourselves to the world. Is it because, in reality, we are discontented with our lives? Dr Charlotte Armitage, psychologist As parents, she continues, we are modelling behaviours to our children. “They learn by imitation – if mum is taking photos and seeking validation from likes, the child starts to become validated by these likes themselves and will develop an external focus of control; they will learn that validation comes from what others think of them. This is unhealthy because, throughout life, a child’s self-esteem and self-worth become based on what others think about them rather than how they feel about themselves.” The key, she says, is realising we shouldn’t use social media to fulfil our self-worth. “It’s more important to ask ourselves the question of why we feel the need to present this kind of picture-perfect image of ourselves to the world,” she says. “Is it because, in reality, we are discontented with our lives?” According to research, the average child today has had their image put on social media 1,300 times before the age of 13 – I can see this trajectory for my kids unless I put on the brakes. There are already widespread concerns over the data. In France, an anti-sharing bill continues to be discussed in the country’s senate, and parents could potentially be banned from sharing photos of their children on social media. It could also become mandatory for influencers to admit if a photo or video they posted was retouched or filtered. There is controversy over whether pictures of kids should even be posted online at all, as many are too young to even give permission. How will they feel about the spread of their image in the future? What happens if their identity is stolen – or worse, used by paedophiles? Does it promote a distorted reality of motherhood, compared with which other “normal” mums feel inadequate? And can it backfire on the parents when children’s rights in the digital era are not honoured? “Children tend to be frustrated or critical of the way their parents share images of them,” says Professor Sonia Livingstone, from the department of media and communications at the London School of Economics and Political Science. “Not because they are made to seem ‘perfect’ but because they can be embarrassed, even shamed, in the eyes of their peers. Meanwhile, parents feel hugely under pressure in many ways, both to be perfect parents and also because such images leave parents competing with each other and isolated in their own seemingly inadequate lives.” Dr Cosmo Duff Gordon is the founder of leading addictions clinic Start2Stop, and a psychologist in private practice at Chelsea Recovery Associates. He says that in his 20-year career as a psychologist, he’s “never had a parent sit in front of him and say ‘I’m addicted to Instagram,’” but that’s not because social media addiction doesn’t exist. He puts it largely down to “denial” – “not least since the use of social media can involve so many of the processes that usually characterise classic alcohol or drug addiction”. Denial being the number one culprit. “Obvious ones might be obsession, compulsion, capture of attentional focus and loss of control,” he says. “More subtly, social media use can involve the same sort of self-medication, or escape from reality, that addiction offers – and being a parent is hard. That’s why drifting into a fantasy land can be a relief from the daily grind of motherhood.” Parenting expert Hannah Keeley – aka “America’s #1 Mom Coach” – is more upbeat about mums posting potentially inauthentic photos of their kids. “The hardest truth to accept is that there are some mums who are actually professionalising motherhood to this level,” she says. “Not that they have achieved perfection, but they take pride in their performance as mums and use social media as a way to confirm that to themselves and boost their confidence to encourage their efforts. Should these mums also be obligated to ensure that all mums feel good about themselves, whether or not they have invested in their career to this level? Mums don’t have to be responsible for other mums’ perceptions.” After great debate and reflection, I’ve decided I’m happy with my Insta posts. They might be driven by my background, where my sister and I ran around in white nightdresses as if we had starring roles in Picnic at Hanging Rock. Or because I was conditioned to believe that how we look – even how thin we were – equalled self-worth. I’m not setting myself up to be a supermum. I don’t look at how many likes I get. It’s true that us mums also need to share our parenting experiences honestly, to let other mums know they are not alone. But for now, I’m not doing a U-turn – I’m just living the fairytale dream. Read More My daughter’s horsey hobby makes her happy, but our home now hums If poachers make the best gamekeepers, do siblings make the best babysitters? 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School should be the best years of children’s lives – but, as the new term approaches, evidence suggests it’s actually the most worrying time for many kids. The children’s helpline Childline delivered 7,772 counselling sessions about school/education worries last year, with a big increase in calls in the run-up to the start of the new school year. “School is a huge part of a child’s life, so it’s important they feel happy and secure there,” says Childline director Shaun Friel. “We know some children can feel anxious and apprehensive about going back to school, particularly after spending a lot of time away from the classroom due to the summer break. “In fact, our Childline counsellors see a spike in the number of counselling sessions they deliver to children about school worries following the summer holiday season.” Friel says some children feel worried about making friends, getting lost, or the workload at a new school, while others may have concerns about returning to their current school due to friendship issues, fears about upcoming exams, or the recurrence of bullying. “However a child feels about returning to school, we want to remind them that these worries are normal and they aren’t alone,” he stresses. “If any child is feeling apprehensive about going back to school, our trained counsellors are here 24/7 over the phone and online.” As well as counselling, Friel says there are many things both parents and children can do to ease back-to-school anxieties. They include… 1. Writing feelings down Parents can get their child to write down everything they’re looking forward to at school, and everything they’re worried about. “Encourage them to show you the list so you can chat through their concerns, help them cope with their worries and also look at the positives,” suggests Friel. 2. Listening to their concerns If your child has concerns about going back to school, take time to listen to what they’re saying before you jump in to give advice or your opinion, Friel advises: “You could try repeating back what they’ve shared to check you’ve understood their feelings correctly – this will help them to feel really heard.” 3. Discussing practical solutions Once your child has shared any concerns or anxieties about going back to school, you could try talking through some practical solutions, suggest Friel. So, for example, if they’re worried about the amount of homework they’ll have, you could discuss how to break this down each evening and what they could do if they start to feel overwhelmed, like talking to their teacher or you. “You could start by asking them what they think might help them feel better about the situations that worry them,” says Friel. “This can encourage them to learn to think for themselves and feel in more control of the situation.” 4. Reminding them to take their time Remind your child it can take time to adjust to being back at school, and it’s okay if it doesn’t feel comfortable at first, says Friel. “Being back at school will mean a totally different routine, and it’s important to remember that this can take some getting used to,” he stresses. 5. Doing things they enjoy When kids are back at school, making time every day to do something they enjoy can really help to ease anxiety, says Friel. “Whether it’s time in their evening with friends, reading a book or hanging out with their siblings, it’s important to take time out,” he advises. 6. Talking to a trusted adult It’s important children are aware they can and should talk to a safe adult – perhaps a parent, carer, teacher, sibling over the age of 18 or a Childline counsellor – about anything. “No matter what the reason, if a young person is struggling ahead of going back to school, it’s vital they’re encouraged to talk to a safe adult about it,” stresses Friel. “Sharing their feelings with someone they trust will help them feel less alone with their worries, and that adult will be able to support them with this moving forward.” 7. Distracting themselves If children or young people make an effort to keep busy doing something they enjoy, such as playing football or listening to music, this could distract them from their worries, at least for a little while, says Friel. Staying connected with friends and family, whether that be online or in person, or doing some physical activity like going for a walk or taking part in a sport, can also be a good distraction technique. Young people can contact Childline, which is run by the NSPCC and supported by the People’s Postcode Lottery, on 0800 1111 or via 1-2-1 chat on Childline.org.uk Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live What is the best type of facial for your age range? King Charles reshuffles military roles with new duties for William and Kate Government urged to remove VAT from period pants

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