[Gayle]

I wrote an article about it for a competition in the Daily Express once. It was printed but I didn't win.



I am obviously a bad parent; a wicked, evil mother that deserves a severe public flogging. Not only did I go back to work after the birth of my daughter but also I chose not to breast feed either of my children. How cruel and thoughtless could I possibly be? But hand on a minute, where are the two weedy, asthmatic, delinquents that I’m supposed to be raising? Oh, I know, they’re somewhere in the statistics that try to make me feel guilty for the choices I have made in life.

These are choices that a large majority of mothers have to make for economic reasons. And yet we’re vilified for wanting to provide the best for our children. The best doesn’t mean the most expensive trainers or the most expensive toys, it means the best love and care and attention.

Our two much adored children eat well, sleep well and are secure in the knowledge that my husband and I are providing for them.

So what of my husband, of course he’s perfect. There’s no mention that his working is affecting their upbringing. There’s also no mention that by bottle-feeding he got chance to bond with them better. There’s no mention that with him sharing the late night feeds I got enough sleep and never suffered from postnatal depression. No, there’s no mention of any of that because as we all know, parenting is a mother’s role not an equal opportunity job. Perhaps it’s time for a new report!