Do we expect too much from daddies?

Yesterday, daddy and I had a bit of an argument. I found that he wasn't spending quite enough quality time with Amy. 

With quality time I mean time that he uses to play with her or read her a story from a book. I know she's only little and it doesn't make a difference to her if we are reading a story book or a kebab flyer to her but I simply find it important that we interact with her and stimulate her little brain. Whenever she's awake I spend time on her play mat with her, sing songs, shake her rattles and and and ... you know how it works. Daddy however sits her up on the sofa next to him and tells me "She's fine" when I give him the look. You know, the one saying 'Ehm, that's not what I meant when I said look after her for a minute'. He loves her to bits and helps with her nappies and everything and he's an absolute diamond when it comes to cooking and cleaning (You must think 'Why are you stupid cow complaining then') but whenever I would like him to spend some time with Amy, he seems to have no idea on what to do with her. It's like telling a worm to juggle. "I'm going to be the best dad ever when she's a bit older", he says when I tell him to play with her and I know he will because he is absolutely amazing with children, but the answer I get each and every time at the moment is "But she's just too young now."

Well, it's not that I find it challenging to make silly faces and shake a rattle for what feels like three hours a day but I enjoy doing it. I enjoy it because I can see on Amy's little face that she loves it when I look like an absolute nutter and it's great to see that she starts reacting to certain toys. Daddy has said he'll make an effort of properly playing with Amy now and I can't wait for him to share these great moments with me. 

Do your other halves struggle to play with your little ones, too? Can you suggest anything to help daddies learn to play again? Feedback is very much appreciated!

Should you force your teenager to eat meat?

On Sunday we were invited for a BBQ with Ben's family. We were sitting in the garden and having fun with the water hose until food was served and drama took its course.

Ben's oldest niece didn't want to eat any of the grilled meat, while her step-dad insisted she had some. With her being almost 13 years old and her step-dad only wanting her to get the nutrients she needs, you can imagine it all ended in a big discussion, tears and a teenager refusing to eat anything at all. 

Well, this whole situation got me thinking about whether as a parent you should force your teenager to eat meat or let them decide themselves, knowing that they might miss out on iron and other nutrients important for their development. I could sympathize with both sides. As a teenager you go through phases of wanting to try different things. I remember that a lot of my friends at school went through a meat-free time. Some because they suddenly didn't like meat anymore, others because they didn't agree with animals getting killed just for us to have something on our plates and some just because they wanted to test themselves. I didn't belong to any of these groups. I have always liked my meat and knew that I couldn't live without certain meats such as chicken or my beloved sausages so I didn't even try it - I hate failing! 

Anyway, one of my friends went vegetarian for a couple of months and got serious problems with her bones due to an insufficiency of a specific nutrient that you can find in meat. She was weak, tired and all the supplements her GP prescribed didn't help. She had to go back to eating meat just to feel healthy again. 

As a parent you have heard about these things and do of course worry that, if your child decides to become vegetarian, their health might suffer. Their body is still developing after all. So what do you do? Would you force your child/teenager to eat meat or would you let them go ahead although you might know that their health could be in danger?

The Breast Milk Baby: Top or flop?

A brand new toy has hit the toy market and I am not exaggerating when I'm saying that it divides mothers into two camps. It's called The Breast Milk Baby and is a doll that stimulates breastfeeding. The baby doll has an open mouth like a breast feeding baby and comes with a bib with flowers indicating the female nipple area. If the doll is held against them, it makes suckling noises as if it was feeding and if 'mummy' doesn't burb it, baby it starts crying. 

Image: The Breast Milk Baby by Berjuan Toys

The Breast Milk Baby allows children to experience the 'magic of motherhood' and is supposed to teach little girls how to breastfeed. "The Breast Milk Baby represents a revolution in design by teaching children the nurturing skills they'll need to raise their own healthy babies" say Berjuan Toys.

I think breastfeeding is great and it should be supported if a woman decides for it, but I am not entirely sure if there really is the need for a toy like that. Seeing mum's breast-feed should give children a good enough idea of how breastfeeding works and even if there mum is bottle feeding, the media gives them an idea of how breastfeeding works. So why would little girls have to physically learn how to breast-feed before they actually have developed breasts? I'm going to be a first time mum in about two weeks and I certainly wouldn't call myself a breastfeeding pro but I didn't have a Breast Milk Baby and have a pretty good idea of how the whole thing is supposed to work. So what's the point?

Would you buy your little girl a Breast Milk Baby or do you think it is out of order to put a nipple bib on your daughter?

Discuss: Is children’s play dying out?

New research by the Institute of Education, the University of East London and the University of Sheffield as well as a ground-breaking website from the British Library and a documentary film all show that, rather than dying out, children’s play is in robust health. It is simply changing and adapting to today's society: The researcher's findings counteract the belief that the media is destroying the imaginative play of children. By observing play over two years in playgrounds in Sheffield and London, researchers have found that games consoles, pop music and television actually enrich children’s pretend play, adding topical themes to fantasy scenarios as youngsters incorporate their favourite characters, reality TV stars, pop songs and dance moves into their make-believe worlds. Today’s children act out the Jeremy Kyle Show, or Britain’s Got Talent, as well as engaging in play based on computer games, in which scenarios of combat, stealthy hunting, fantasy weapons and warriors, and computer consoles feature. Other media sources include pop stars such as Beyonce, musicals such as Mamma Mia and High School Musical, adventure films and novels such as Harry Potter and Percy Jackson or computer and animation characters such as Mario and Ben 10. “Pretend play is still flourishing,” says Andrew Burn of the IOE, leader of the project. “Children have always enjoyed enacting scenarios from their home or school lives, as well as fantasy stories involving witches, zombies, princesses, martial arts warriors and other figures.”

What do your children like to play? Are they interested in the games that you played as a child or are Wii and TV their best friends?