Jamie Oliver sparks debate after confessing he's a 'weekend parent'

Jamie Oliver
(Image credit: Steve Meddle/REX/Shutterstock)

Jamie Oliver has sparked debate on social media after confessing he's a 'weekend parent'.

The TV chef has an impressive brood of five children with wife Jools, so it comes as no surprise that having so many kids around can be a handful.

However, his successful career as an author and TV chef has meant that he's had to compromise when it comes to spending time with his children.

Despite saying he tries to be there for important events, Jamie has confessed that he's a 'weekend parent' - busy with work Monday to Friday, but there for his children on the weekends.

'I will get to the key school events but I'm flat out Monday to Friday and normally see the children a couple of nights during the week', the dad-of-five told Good Housekeeping.

'I'm happy with that, I think they are fine with it.'

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The confession has sparked debate among other parents, who actually related to the dad and said most families have to do the same in order to provide for their children.

One said: 'It’s the same for most families. My kids father has usually left for work before they wake up. He gets back an hour before their bed time but sometimes due to train delays and cancellations he doesn’t see them at all. But that’s what makes the weekend even more special. That’s just life.'

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Another also commented: 'By his definition of a weekend parent that is precisely what myself and my partner are. Our youngest is in nursery 7.30 till 6 ish 3 days a week so although we put her to bed we don't get a huge amount of time during the week with her. Weekends are our quality time.'

But despite having his hands full already, Jamie said there could be a chance the couple could have another child.

'Jools probably would like another child. I think we’re done, but you never knew with Jools – she had a very powerful, magic spell that can grow on you', he added.

Are you or your partner a 'weekend parent'? What do you think of the term? Head over to our Facebook page and let us know in the comments!

Mariana Cerqueira
Lifestyle Editor

Mariana is a lifestyle writer who has written for Goodto.com and My Imperfect Life. She joined the Goodto.com team as an intern after completing her journalism MA at City University. After six months spent writing about food, celebrity news, and family trends, Mariana left to write for Healthy Food magazine - but returned in 2017, to join the Future team once again. In her spare time, you’ll find Mariana in the kitchen cooking for her friends.