Homes Go glam

PARTY ANIMAL MUM I can’t compete with my

One mother-daughter duo explain why their roles are reversed when it comes to going out and having a good time

THE DAUGHTER

Eileen Roell, 31, manages a doggrooming salon and lives in London. Lying in bed the other night, I was falling asleep when a familiar noise woke me. Downstairs, I could hear my housemate Sue tottering around in her heels, the clink of a glass as she poured some wine, then music blaring from the living room. Sighing with exasperation, I shouted, ‘Keep the noise down, some of us are trying to sleep!’ Sue is my 60-year-old mother. She’s a party animal and shows no signs of calming down. She can drink most people under the table, owns the dance fl oor at a party and never knows when to call it a night.

By contrast, I’m the sensible one. My parents separated when I was a toddler, but remained friends. I had a happy childhood, but Mum was defi nitely more bohemian than the other mothers at the school gates. She’s always loved to have a good time. When I was a teenager, it would be me telling her to turn the music down, and four years ago she broke her leg at Christmas, because of some over-enthusiastic dancing at a festive party.

I’d cringe when I started bringing boyfriends home and they’d comment on how ‘hot’ Mum was, while my friends sometimes seemed more interested in hanging out with her than me, because she was ‘so much fun’.

We clashed more when I was a teenager. I never felt I could measure up to her big personality. It’s not unusual for teens to rebel against their parents, and for me that meant becoming very sensible. When friends started experimenting with alcohol and getting drunk, I tried it but hated the taste and just didn’t feel the need. I moved out aged 18 to go and work as an au pair in New York, and when I returned to London I rented a fl at of my own. Then, fi ve years ago, I moved back in with Mum as it made fi nancial sense for us to share. While she does exasperate me at times, now I’m older I’m able to appreciate her fun side.

I do feel overshadowed at times. I’m not a boring person and when I’m with my own friends I can be bubbly and loud, too, but with Mum I’m quieter and let her take the limelight.

The secret to our relationship is that we accept who we both are. I might nag her about the fact she smokes when she drinks, and I text her at 2am telling her it’s time to come home, but I don’t try to curtail her social life. It’s her life and she should live it as she wants. And vice versa, she would never pressure me to stay out late when she wants a big night. When I was younger, I might have wished she was more like other mums – sensible and a bit dull. Now I wouldn’t change her for the world. ‘SHE CAN DRINK MOST PEOPLE UNDER THE TABLE’

Eileen and her mother live together – but diff erently

THE MOTHER

Real Life

‘I’M NOT LETTING AGE PUT THE

BRAKES ON MY SOCIAL LIFE’

Sue Saunders, 60, is a painter decorator and lives in London. I was 28 when I had Eileen, and I was the fi rst of my friends to have a child. As much as I adored her, I was determined that becoming a mum wasn’t going to make me boring. I know that for some women having a baby puts a stop to their socialising, but not me.

Eileen’s dad Herbert, now 60, and I loved going out, and if my mum wasn’t free to babysit, Eileen would come to art-gallery openings and restaurants in a sling when she was a baby, and when she was a little older I’d put her down to sleep in the spare bedroom of friends’ houses when we went to dinner parties.

Just as I didn’t let becoming a mum curtail my social life, I’m not letting age put the brakes on it either. In the past, it would have been unheard of for a woman of my aping around ce fl oor, but

glad times are nging. There still ght be a few

sed eyebrows hen I start dancing but I never feel inhibited by what anyone thinks of me. I’m happily single and have a fantastic bunch of friends, plus a good relationship with Herbert, so I’m never short of partners in crime to have fun with. For me, the best nights are the ones that begin as a quiet drink and end at dawn, dancing around my living room. I love a couple of glasses of white wine, but I certainly don’t have a problem with alcohol. If I’m not partying, you’ll fi nd me at home drinking a cuppa in front of the TV, perfectly content.

Despite the fact both her parents love to party, Eileen

hasn’t followed in our footsteps. She’s far from boring, but unlike me she knows when to call it a night. She’s so diff erent from me but she’s happy and secure, so I have no desire for her to change. I admire the fact she doesn’t need alcohol to have a good time. Although people might think I’m an extrovert, I can feel shy around new people – but after a glass or two, my party animal comes out. I think it’s more common for her generation to be teetotal or

arely drink, whereas it’s not he norm for people my age.

I realise I can be a bit irritating t times. Not long ago, Eileen was dating someone, and

arrived home and decided it would be fun to pour us all a rink, ignoring Eileen’s eyeolling in my direction. She is ery tolerant and that means we don’t fall out, even when ur lifestyles meet head on.

I recently turned 60 and have o wish to hang up my party hoes. I plan to hold on to my ie de vivre – and my glass of auv blanc – as long as possible. ‘I MAY BE IRRITATING AT TIMES’ Mum and daughter and (above) Sue loves to dance