As I’ve mentioned all over these entries, my daughter Sydney is an actress and has been very successful since the age three. I would say 80% of this is her natural ability and talent and 20% is down to the tools I have given her to succeed in several areas. Anyone who knows me will tell you that I’m a tough mum with all four of my children. I don’t take prisoners and I am strict beyond belief so if you don’t like my methods, you deal with that yourself. I haven’t time to worry about what others think.

I am not Sydney’s agent! For us, this is the best way to operate at this time in her life and I’ll tell you why. I do not want a business relationship with my daughter or any money passing between us. I was very conscious that after her first job, that she remained with my first agent, Lynne, who I trusted and that her career was managed from afar, if that’s what she wanted.

Sydney’s story is a bit of a fairy-tale in the sense that my son wanted to attend drama classes at my old drama school (I wasn’t even up and running at this stage, or even thinking about it) and whilst he was auditioning, Lynne was chatting to Sydney in reception. Sydney was naturally confident and quite eloquent so the conversation went in all kinds of turns. When my son came out and we found out he’d been successful, she pulled me aside and said she’d love to have Sydney on her books too. I was quite reluctant and said I’d think about it as she was only three. I had no idea what Sydney even liked to do at that age and I had vowed that none of my children would be going into the acting industry. My mum and I argued a little about this and the more I was trying to be convinced otherwise, the more I dug my heels in.

A couple of weeks later, Lynne called me as a little girl had been “let go” on an ITV drama. They needed to re-cast immediately and she asked if I would take Sydney along. The casting was with the original Emmerdale casting director who I knew, so I felt safe in the knowledge that it might be OK. Even at that point, however, I kind of said to Lynne that it would be a one-off and I would take her along to see what she thought. If she didn’t like it, that would be the end of it. All agreed and I made the trip to Yorkshire Television.

 I sat in the foyer and I literally started to have palpitations because of what I was doing. I thought, “What have I done here? This isn’t me! I’m not that kind of mum!” The casting director came out and we exchanged hellos and off Sydney went into the room. 

We hadn’t even reached half way up the A64 on our way home when the call came in and they had offered her the part. Now, you might be thinking at this point it was because I had a previous history with this casting director but anyone who knew Sue Jackson, knows that she does not operate like that. You are either right for the role or not, and she loved Sydney. What we didn’t expect was the years that were to follow and how the work would become consistent.

Sydney, of course, had an amazing time on set and she was so cute that this opened doors for more auditions. BUT, I have never just booked her for a job without asking her first IF she wants to go for it or not. The truth is, if she said no, that would be it. The end. That’s where the mother and daughter relationship is paramount. As a manager I would be submitting her left, right and centre but as her mother, I didn’t. I wanted her to feel totally comfortable in the knowledge that if she’d had enough, then its' OK and we'd focus on other things.

Only once has this happened where she was working back to back in radio and TV and she felt tired of it all. I immediately said that we would stop and yet two weeks later she came to me and asked to go up for work again. 

Sydney has a natural hunger that I have never seen in anyone before and she likes to be good at everything she does. 

We both approach acting work in a very pragmatic way. It’s a job. We don’t consume ourselves in everything acting based and at home we rarely talk about it. The only time it comes up in discussion is when we’re watching a film and she thinks someone’s work is superb or a director’s work was unusual. We watch movies from Disney right through to cert 18s and although there is strong content at times, you have to remember she has grown up in front of the camera and nothing fazes her. Her life has been around adults and working, so we’re not so stringent on what she can see and what she can’t. Sydney knows what she is allowed and not allowed to do and she never discusses films with her friends as their parents would probably freak out. The point is, when Sydney isn’t working we don’t talk about it. When she was a little she was a normal functioning 11-year-old girl who loved playing on her tablet, reading books, doing Maths (urrggghh!) and socializing with her friends. She got into trouble with her siblings and dreamed of having her own bedroom, so life was very normal.

We also had a strict rule in our house. If a contract is on the table we go with that offer as “waiting” for that other job that “might” be in the offing is nearly always a bad move. I believe that if a company has been decisive and is willing to take a chance on you, then you show them the same respect. I also hate the whole concept of the bigger, better deal being round the corner. Humans do that to each other when they wait for someone more interesting to come in the room and I am so over those kind of people. Treat others as you would want to be treated and life will be good back to you. A situation arose where a couple of actors chose not to sign further deals on their contracts as they were worried about missing something bigger and better and what I have to say about this is cruel but true: you are nobody and certainly in no position to be that high and mighty that you can afford to, A, upset a television or film company or, B, think for one minute that something else MAY come along. Sydney missed out on three jobs one year because she was filming in Wales and didn’t regret a single minute of it. This family of writers, producers and content of work was more important to her than climbing the ladder of success in other ways. She was so honoured to be asked back that she just said yes without hesitation. Don’t get me wrong, she would have loved to do those other jobs, but it can’t always be her turn and we go with what made her happy! 

When Sydney attended auditions it became a bit of a worry. We tend to see the same parents at auditions and the ones who are our friends are lovely when they see us. However, there have been times when we’ve entered a room and parents have exchanged looks and sighed. So that’s why we didn’t talk when we were waiting. She concentrated on her script and focused. 

I just want to say to them all that it’s not in the bag! Sydney still had to go in there and fight for her job and she may not even be what they’re looking for. 

She once attended an audition in London on a Saturday whilst I was teaching and although this was her third recall, I wasn’t confident. Half way through the day she rang me in a panic. The children in London were so confident and vocal that she felt unnerved and just wanted to come home. I tried to calm her down and say that it was fine but she was adamant this role wasn’t for her. And it wasn’t. She didn’t get it. When we talked about it a whole week later, she said she just felt that she wasn’t good enough to stand up against the London set. There was a definite knock in confidence. I rested her for a whole six months after that, as I was worried I’d been part of that confidence knock somehow. When we finally attended the next audition, we approached it with a new found attitude that she was just as good as anyone else her age and that if she spoke the truth in her script, then that’s all she could do. 

She succeeded and was back to her normal self. 

Sydney's education has suffered over the years in varying degrees, some because she was away a lot and sometimes due to her teachers. This meant we had to work with her at home quite a lot and it wasn’t until her last year at primary that I actually realized how bright she was. My mum had been telling me for years that she was so clever but I was quite dismissive, as I hadn’t seen anything to the contrary. The school she attended, however, was the most supportive, understanding school ever and every time I sent a licence in to be signed, it was approved. If they hadn’t, Sydney would have been miserable and I would have had to move her. In her final year we had what can only be described as an angel in the form of her teacher, Miss Milly, and she saw the potential in Sydney academically. Seriously, if I could wrap this teacher up and steal her forever, I would. Sydney entered year 6 at a level 3 (way below par) and in eight months she had jumped two levels reaching a high 5. (Can I just say, I hate the levels system. I don’t agree with it but it has been rammed down my throat for years!) This was a total team effort between Sydney and Miss Milly. Miss Milly and the head, Mr Nicholson, put on booster sessions for all the kids in the class and there was no way she was going to miss these under any circumstances. Now Sydney began to understand the importance of her education as well as her acting, and this made her be more actively involved in her contracts, the commission she was paying to her agent and potential further options in jobs she was undertaking.

Her understanding particularly of numbers and figures meant we could talk about her finances and investments and she was so excited when she went to the bank and talked through how she could manage her saved earnings in years to come.

This led to an Oscar winning performance about her wanting to attend an all girls private school.

Sydney convinced us that she needed somewhere to concentrate in between working that was a small class, without boys and a family environment. Our issue was how we were going to pay for it. And the battle of, if you give to one, you give to all. 

It was our son who finally made us decide to proceed. He said that it wasn’t a problem for him as he didn’t want to be her bodyguard at school, especially with the male attention. Sydney successfully managed to take her core five GGSE’s and obtained top results. She pushed herself in a year having been working abroad the year previously on a huge film. We were all immensely proud of her. 

The truth is if I were to coach your child the way I coach Sydney, I could probably guarantee that you would run out crying and so would your child! I am super tough on her like most parents who have taught their own children whether it is in sport or the arts and I don’t apologise for my approach. The girl is made of steel because from being young and having to deal with a lot of personal issues very early on, I have not made excuses for her. I needed to toughen her up and build a thick skin and if I mould her in a sappy way, she will fold under the pressure regardless of her future and what she chooses to do. Remember, this is her dream and trust me when I say I have tried every trick in the book to give her an easy exit. At times she has stood in front of me screaming and crying telling me that she couldn’t do something, mostly because it was in the “too hard to do” box and I have been unemotional and told her to jack it all in, that she wasn’t cut from the real cloth etc and after a good blow out session she has totally nailed the task and been incredibly proud of herself. You may not like to hear that, but like I said I couldn’t coach other kids like that because you wouldn’t like it! 

The truth is, though, I could get your child on another level but not with you over my shoulder. It’s like going on a boot camp and changing the way you perceive people and life. 

Sydney and I have an incredible close bond built on discipline, love and trust! I am totally in awe of her as she is me and it's indescribable the relationship we have with her being at such a young age still. 

I am a mum first, second and third. Yes I teach her, but I am her mum. That must rule above everything else, always.

I suppose some people might interpret the above as “pushy”? In my eyes it’s about NOT giving someone false hopes thinking that they can cut it in the big world. If you can’t be totally honest with yourself about either you or your child’s ability then you’re setting everyone up for a whole lot of disappointment. I would say that “pushy” mums have a desire that can overwhelm sometimes. I have been there and done that in my own acting career, so my desires are directed in the opposite direction.

My son could not do what Sydney does. He was a good theatre actor but has no emotional connection at all for conveying in acting roles on screen. He has talents elsewhere, and he’s cool with that. My younger daughter, Ava, is potentially as good as Sydney BUT she finds the whole acting process boring, so she dances. They just enjoy having fun and that’s where it ends.

We spend time focusing on their dreams and goals and there is a definite rotation of attention in the household. That’s where it is balanced!