When I first read about mum Sarah Louise Bryan’s email rant to another mother, demanding £325 to replace a pair of fur booties worn by her three-year-old daughter on a playdate, I actually thought I’d bumped my head and woken up on April 1st.
Surely, I thought, this can’t be real. It must be a wind up.
No one in their right mind would a) buy a child a pair of shoes so eye wateringly expensive and b) if they were stupid enough to do that, then they wouldn’t have the audacity to complain when, shock horror, they got scuffed and marked.
But unless I have indeed come round from a coma on April Fool’s Day, then it seems Sarah Louise is indeed that misguided and audacious.
A self-styled fashion designer and actress, she packed her daughter Isabella off to play with a friend in her Italian leather shoes, which cost more than some people earn in a week.
One of sixty pairs owned by the tot, who is dressed head to toe in designer labels every day, Sarah Louise was outraged when the boots arrived home with scuff marks and pen on them.
Newsflash – children get messy, their clothes get stained and worn, it’s unavoidable.
Not content with just being outraged, Sarah Louise decided to invoice the other mum, a friend of hers called Nicola Gibbs, for the cost of the boots, saying “"Below is the bill for these replacing because they can not be fixed these are fine Italian leather! As a designer I do not want my child to look anything less that pristine. Bill for a replacement pair of Italian fur booties £325 to be pair by 01/02/2017 before I take this higher.”
Had I received an email like that my response would have been just two words. I think you can guess what they are.
Like a lot of mums, it seems Sarah Louise has been led astray by the endless snaps of celebrity tots like North West, Harper Beckham and Suri Cruise, used as mini designer clothes horses by their mums and dads.
I think there is something deeply uncomfortable about seeing children in outfits which cost thousands of pounds, even if the A-list can splurge silly money on their kid’s wardrobes without a second thought (even though, let's be honest, most of the stuff is 'gifted' to them by the designers).
Some parents will feel under pressure to keep up with this daft trend, and put themselves under pressure to dress up their little ones in expensive clothes, even if it means getting into debt. They think the more they spend, the more they love their child. Which couldn’t be further from the truth.
I'm mother to a gorgeous 20-month-old son, Ruadhan, who I love dearly, but when it comes to his clothes, I spend as little as possible. Most of his clothes are from Next, Matalan and Tesco, and I even shop ahead in the sales, buying his next size up, to save money. Everything gets covered in mud, snot and food - not to mention the fact that he grows out of it all in a matter of weeks - so there's really no point in splashing out. And you know what - he doesn't feel neglected in any way, shape or form.
For other parent's though, and I think Sarah Louise falls into this category, it’s all about using your child to reflect well on yourself and get attention. Wrongly, she thinks that by splashing the cash on Isabella and her older brother Keegan, 13, and sending them out in designer labels, people will envy her, admire her and think what a fantastic mum she is. It’s not about them and how they look, it’s all about her her her.
In reality, most people just think she’s bonkers and has more money than sense, and pity poor little Isabella for not being allowed to get a bit dirty without it sparking a cat fight between her mum and her mate.
My advice to Sarah Louise? Get yourself down to Primark, pick up some cheap and practical outfits for your daughter, and let her ruin them having fun. You’ll be a much better mum for it and she’ll thank you when she’s older.
**Do you dress your children in designer clothes or, like Eimear, do you think it's an insane waste of money? Let us know on Facebook or Twitter. **