Lydia Bright said she cried herself to sleep after a nightmare week with her toddler daughter in a brave post on Instagram.
The former The Only Way Is Essex star, who shares daughter Loretta, 18 months, with ex Lee Cronin, took to social media to share her parenting lows with her 1.2 million followers.
Lydia, 31, posted a picture of the toddler sat on a tube train, but the youngster is far from happy as she’s glaring at the camera with a frown on her face.
The TV star said she’s been dealing with relentless tantrums from her daughter, and she wanted to share her painful experiences in an effort to help other mums out there who could be going through the same stage with their own toddlers.
“This is what I have been dealing with all week,” Lydia began, referring to Loretta’s scowl in the photo.
“Honestly, apart from the newborn stage, this has been one of my most challenging weeks with Loretta,” she continued.
Lydia said her daughter has always been a “wild, confident child”, and while she’s never tried to “tame” Loretta, the last few days have proved to be mentally - and physically - exhausting.
“However, this week has been a constant challenge. Running away as soon as I turn my back, screaming if she doesn’t get her way, doing the total opposite whenever I ask her to do something,” she explained.
“I feel like all I have done all week is tell her off, which I have found EXHAUSTING,” Lydia added, before admitting she was left in tears following an incident at a restaurant.
“Last night, I cried myself to sleep after having to walk out of a restaurant because I was so embarrassed by her behaviour,” Lydia confessed.
She hopes that by sharing her tough experiences with her emotional and strong-willed toddler that other mums don’t have to feel like they’re alone in dealing with the highs and lows of parenting.
“I wanted to write all of this down, not to make a stupid headline, but to just be honest. To tell all you mums, that may have also had a sh*t week that I also have struggled,” Lydia wrote.
The designer and influencer said she’s lost her cool “every day”, and is hoping she and Loretta can turn a corner next week.
“I have been exhausted, I have lost my cool every day, I have been overwhelmed and I have doubted myself. But tomorrow is a new day and a new week and I’m praying for better behaviour,” she added. “We got this mumma’s.”
Lydia’s followers praised her for being so honest about parenting, and her famous friends sent messages of support in the comments.
“You're brave and brilliant and I admire you for this! Sending love mate,” Vicky Pattison wrote.
“You're doing amazing,” Ashley James added.
