Did my kids brush their teeth? Did I sign the school form? Have they had enough fresh air today? Does their underwear still fit? What am I cooking for dinner? And are we about to run out of snacks again? These are just a fraction of the thoughts constantly running through mums’ minds, according to a new listening project by UK confectionery brand Wild Thingz, who asked 100 mothers to share the “wild thingz” on their mind right now.
Timed ahead of Mother’s Day, the project highlights the relentless mental checklist many mothers carry every single day, that invisible labour of parenting that rarely gets switched off. Across conversations with mums from across the UK, the answers ranged from the practical to the emotional, revealing the sheer number of things mothers quietly keep track of. Among the most common “wild thingz” mums said they think about daily were:
“Am I going to get 4 loads of washing dry in this weather?”
“Which day is Forest School?”
“Should I bother getting a Brazilian or should that money go on the pedicure that is 6 months overdue!”
“Did my kids brush their teeth properly?”
“Have I paid for that school trip?”
“Did they get enough fresh air today?”
“What on earth am I going to cook tonight?”
“Are we running out of snacks again?”
“Have they drunk enough water?”
“Getting my coil fitted – will it fall out every time I stand up?”
But alongside the practical worries were deeper reflections many mums admitted they carry quietly like “creating situations in my head about things that might go wrong” or “feeling like there’s always something I’ve forgotten.”
For many mothers, food and snacks were one of the most consistent daily mental tabs, balancing treats children love with concerns around sugar, additives and nutrition. That tension reflects wider parental attitudes in the UK. Separate research conducted with YouGov found that 64% of parents feel reluctant to buy sweets due to concerns around sugar and additives, showing the small but frequent decisions families navigate every day.
Wild Thingz founder Fliss Newland says the project was designed simply to acknowledge how much mothers carry mentally. “We wanted to sit with mums and really listen to everything that’s on their minds… the tiny practical things and the bigger worries that run through your head every day,” says Newland. “Mother’s Day is often about gifts, but we wanted to recognise something deeper. The invisible mental load mums carry for their families every single day.” Wild Thingz was created to help remove one small point of stress from that daily checklist – sweets.
This Mother’s Day, the message from Wild Thingz is simple – mums already have enough on their minds.
