Jesinta Franklin: ‘My mental health needs something outside motherhood’

After so many months of lockdown and a new life as a mum where you “sacrifice so much for your children,” Jesinta Franklin is ready to let her hair down for her first child-free party in months.

The Franklin family may have all flown from Sydney to Melbourne together, but Tallulah, who turns two next month, and 10-month-old Rocky have their own plans.

The siblings will spend this evening with a babysitter while their parents – AFL star dad

Lance, aka “Buddy”, and model mum Jesinta – head to the Crown IMG Tennis Party. It will be their first child-free party in months.

“We haven’t built up the confidence to leave them yet, so it will be a little family trip with a night out just for us,” Jesinta tells Stellar In Summer, adding that she’s looking forward to rubbing shoulders with tennis elite and celebrities at the hotel’s Aviary rooftop space.

“As a mum you sacrifice so much for your children” (Picture: Damian Bennett)

After so many months of lockdown – including several weeks apart during the footy season – the couple, who are Crown ambassadors, are looking forward to dressing up for a night

of champagne, caviar and oyster shucking.

“It’s so nice to get back to work and the different elements of my career because as a mum you sacrifice so much for your children,” the former Miss Universe Australia explains.

“You put your needs at the very bottom of the list of things to do, so it’s nice to step back into it. It’s also really important for my mental health to have something to strive for outside motherhood.”

Having been raised by a mum who returned to her career, Jesinta says that whenever she feels “mother guilt”, she focuses on her own upbringing.

“My mum went back to work when we were growing up, so I saw her chasing her dreams and goals. When I think back, one of the things I remember is her being really fulfilled by that.”

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After two years of Covid disruptions, she also believes everyone is keen to celebrate new-found freedoms.

“Collectively, we’ve gone through so much. Everyone has a story and we can all share in that – that’s what’s made it a little bit easier to get through these really tough times.”

The other major event Jesinta will mark this year is her 30th birthday, the celebrations for which had to be postponed in 2021. “I really want to celebrate my 30 years,” she says.

“It’s a milestone... I want to bring together everyone who means something to me, from childhood to now. It’s a beautiful celebration I want to spend with the people who have contributed to my life.”

Originally published as Jesinta Franklin: ‘My mental health needs something outside motherhood’