This summer, sports became a beacon to hold our focus while the world continued to flip and tilt with uncertainty. Wimbledon, Euro 2020, Formula 1, the Tokyo Games: sports in 2021 have enthralled spectators, giving us the chance to experience relatable emotions, collectively, in the face of much that has been abnormal and solitary. What’s more, these events have been a platform for more than just sporting achievement. First Ms Naomi Osaka, currently number three in the Women’s Tennis Association rankings, withdrew from the French Open rather than compromise on her decision to skip the post-match press conferences that exacerbate her social anxiety.

“So,” my mum said. “Who do you want to be?” I was six years old, and being a child of Taiwanese immigrants, you might reasonably think she was alluding to my future career choices – like doctor, or lawyer (because, well, Asian parents). In this instance, my mother was actually asking about the fancy-dress day I had coming up at school that week. My favourite superhero was Superman, so that was an easy one. But even back then, there was a niggling feeling that it would be weird if I went to school dressed in the cape and the tights. Because Superman was white,and I wasn’t.

I have photos of me enjoying skin-to-skin contact with my two daughters when they were born – some of the happiest moments in my life. But when I look back at the images, my overriding thought is: I’m so skinny. Even in 2014, when I completed a staff transformation challenge for the UK edition of Men’s Health magazine and my naked torso adorned newsagent shelves nationwide (and the Daily Mail “sidebar of shame”), I wasn’t completely happy with my body. I could’ve done better. Been bigger.

Nurturing a child from birth to adulthood means navigating hurdles that push us to our limits and – as helpful as our parents or antenatal pals can be – we’re often left to figure out its fundamentals on the fly. Parenting is also incredibly pressured. That might come via the cult of the perfect parent – the polished perception some give of their offspring and child-rearing abilities, whether at the school gates or on Mumsnetforums. Or it might be from deep dives into the psychology of parenting, whether Dr John Bowlby and Dr Mary Ainsworth’s groundbreaking work on attachment theory or Ms Sue Gerhardt’s seminal Why Love Matters, all of which can leave us certain that however we approach parenting will screw up our children for life.

This summer, sports became a beacon to hold our focus while the world continued to flip and tilt with uncertainty. Wimbledon, Euro 2020, Formula 1, the Tokyo Games: sports in 2021 have enthralled spectators, giving us the chance to experience relatable emotions, collectively, in the face of much that has been abnormal and solitary. What’s more, these events have been a platform for more than just sporting achievement. First Ms Naomi Osaka, currently number three in the Women’s Tennis Association rankings, withdrew from the French Open rather than compromise on her decision to skip the post-match press conferences that exacerbate her social anxiety.

“So,” my mum said. “Who do you want to be?” I was six years old, and being a child of Taiwanese immigrants, you might reasonably think she was alluding to my future career choices – like doctor, or lawyer (because, well, Asian parents). In this instance, my mother was actually asking about the fancy-dress day I had coming up at school that week. My favourite superhero was Superman, so that was an easy one. But even back then, there was a niggling feeling that it would be weird if I went to school dressed in the cape and the tights. Because Superman was white,and I wasn’t.