It was with some bemusement that I saw that Charlotte, 2, and George, 3, were in Pippa Middleton's wedding party on the weekend.
I was recently asked if my two-year-old could be a page boy. I instantly imagined him destroying flowers, pulling the bride's veil off, having a tantrum and running out of the church into traffic. He never walks/runs in the direction I want him to, so why would he at a wedding when he has an audience to entertain?
I wonder if Kate Middleton had a similar vision when Pippa popped the question. Of course, Kate has the luxury of a nanny. Perhaps she imagined the nanny leaping across the congregation from the sidelines, where she'd been blending into the background in her 'Call the Midwife'-esque brown outfit, to stop Charlotte from taking off her nappy because she'd done a poo.
Thankfully, nothing that dramatic seemed to happen on the big day. However, there was a brief moment when Charlotte and George jumped on the bride's train as she attempted to walk out of the churchyard.
There's no point comparing our reality to someone else's highlights clip.
Kate was probably reassured by a kind relative that no one noticed. But when she looked at the newspapers the next morning she would have seen that everyone noticed.
I'm sure many people had a laugh when they read about George and Charlotte's antics, happy that a family so privileged and seemingly perfect has little mishaps like the rest of us. But the young royals seem to know they're not perfect.
On Mother's Day, Kate gave a speech where she revealed that motherhood had been overwhelming and challenging at times. This is part of a new type of openness we are seeing from the young royals.
Prince Harry and Prince William have also recently talked about their mental health challenges following the death of their mother. Prince Harry's even openly admitted he's been seeing a psychologist.
I think these admissions take a lot of guts, but reactions to them have been mixed.
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One Guardian journalist wrote an article criticising the Duchess for talking about her struggles, given she has a nanny and lots of money and all. Talk about judging! I think the journalist completely missed the point of what the young royals are trying to promote through supporting mental health charities.
One of their charities, Heads Together, says on its website: "Too often, people feel afraid to admit that they are struggling with their mental health. This fear of prejudice and judgement stops people from getting help and can destroy families and end lives".
As a mum, this makes sense to me.
I often don't feel able to admit when I'm not coping because I feel like everyone else is managing well. How could they empathise with me when they are pulling through, sucking it up, making the best of what life throws at them, just getting on with it, soldiering on, and controlling their emotions. We have such a good vocabulary for completely stuffing up our mental health.
What I'm realising, though, is that people usually present what they want others to see and we judge them based on that. That can make it seem like everyone else is doing better than us, coping better than us, has it easier than us. But there's no point comparing our reality to someone else's highlights clip. That's a guaranteed way to feel like crap.
While media coverage of Kate Middleton may often present a perfect life, we should respect -- not judge -- her for admitting that behind closed doors it's not. Perhaps accepting our own imperfections is the difference between sinking and swimming, especially when you live your life in the limelight.
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