Trolls slammed me for ‘wasting my life’ as a teen mum – now my side hustle earns me thousands, even Mrs Hinch’s a fan
BECOMING a mum at 19 came with some big challenges for Casey Major-Bunce, who’s tackled trolls for years.
However, the 32-year-old mum-of-four from Portsmouth has proved everyone wrong as a successful ‘mumfluencer’ with over 54,000 followers.
In October 2022, Casey launched her Instagram account, bursting with stress-busting tips and fun family ideas liked by Stacey Solomon and shared by iconic cleaning pro Mrs Hinch.
Trolls tell her she was a mum too young, but she couldn’t care less – thousands of people call her a genius and she’s the happiest she’s ever been.
Here, she tells Fabulous about her life as a teen mum and why her four kids are her biggest achievement.
“I’ve been shunned all my life by people who say teen pregnancy was a mistake, but they’re wrong. Just look at my Instagram – 50,000 people would beg to differ.
It’s all down to life experience and I was made for this role.
When I was six my mum became disabled and I stepped up to care for her and my brothers. I had to grow up very quickly.
I have dyslexia and went through school unable to read or write. I felt like an idiot, some of my classmates called me stupid and I left school at 16 without any qualifications.
Getting pregnant at 18 with my eldest son Aaron wasn’t planned but seeing the little blue cross on my pregnancy test wasn’t a shock. I was on the pill but I was poorly – the antibiotics must’ve stopped it working.
It felt right carrying him in my belly, but everyone I met had something to say – and it wasn’t nice. I had a job at a florist and people would stare at my blossoming belly as I arranged their flowers. Their smiling faces changed to frowns when I told them my age.
Casey’s favourite mum hacks
- Use a see-through shoe organiser behind your child’s door to organise Lego into colours. It looks aesthetically pleasing, plus it’s easier for them to find the pieces they need to build their creations
- Keep a bedside storage pocket under your child’s car seat with a few of their essentials like drinks, drawing pads, a book and a few toys to keep them entertained while you drive
- Use a self-adhesive hook to clip bibs on the back of your baby’s highchair – you’ll never lose them again
- Cut out velcro dots and stick to the base of wooden puzzles and their pieces to keep them together in the cupboard
- Empty drinkable yoghurt into a plastic drinks container with a straw – no more mess or stress!
They’d say awful things like ‘what a shame, you had your whole life ahead of you’. They thought I should be backpacking around the world but you wouldn’t get me travelling if you paid me.
When Aaron was born I instinctively knew something was wrong but doctors and nurses didn’t take me seriously. They called me an ‘anxious young mum’ but I was right – after days of fighting, they finally realised he had meningitis and stayed in the special care unit for nine days. There’s no way they’d have treated a 30-year-old mum like they treated me.
I lived at home with my mum, who had no problem with my choice at all. She got pregnant as a teen and told me not to worry – she knew I’d be fine.
My life was spent caring for Aaron while my friends got drunk, met blokes and danced the night away in local clubs, but that was never my idea of a good time.
When mum and I walked Aaron in his pram, people thought he was her baby and not mine. Everyone had the same look of disapproval on their face but I didn’t care. I was a confident new mum with a thick skin but when I look back now, I realise how difficult it was dealing with all that judgement.
Raising Aaron and his three siblings has been a blessing. We’ve grown up together and while I know he’s my boy, he’s more like my best friend.
Mrs Hinch loves my hacks – she’s shared loads and tags me in everything
Casey Major-Bunce
Three more children later and my civil engineer husband Adam and I spend every weekend making cakes and paintings and swimming at the local pool and I wouldn’t change it for the world.
While women in their 30s are just starting their families, I’ve had my babies and have time to follow my dreams as an influencer.
I started my mum hacks on Instagram in October 2022 and had no idea how massive it would become. My followers are mums of every age group and even grandmas looking for fun activities and top tips to make life with little ones that little bit easier.
Mrs Hinch loves my hacks – she’s shared loads and tags me in everything.
I don’t want to be seen as a perfect mum because I’m not. If you follow my page you’ll see the chaos kids create and the mistakes we all make because we are all human.
My job is being a mum, but it’s also to help other mums’ lives easier. If I can make women feel good about themselves, my mission is accomplished.
People say I’m lucky that I can be a stay-at-home mum while my husband works but don’t forget, my job is the best and hardest in the world. I run the ship and it’ll never sink under my command.
Adam’s the breadwinner but I earn a few thousand from my Instagram posts and I’m also really tight!
My wardrobe is filled with clothes over ten years old and I don’t just buy things on a whim. I’m not a pampered princess.
I haven’t lost any of my life, I’ve given myself more time to watch my kids grow up.
If you’re a teen mum, do what’s right for you and your child and don’t listen to the trolls. Age is just a number. Motherhood is hard, but only you know if you’re ready. Your baby will be the best thing in your world and you’re stronger than you know.
At the end of the day, it doesn’t matter how old you are. Whenever you’re ready, you’ll be the best mum ever.”