LivingwithKids

...allowing your child to have the biggest ice-cream in the world because you couldn't resist those eyes. ...staying in the shade on a gorgeous sunny day because your child has such sensitive skin. ...knowing that precious moments like this will remain etched in your heart forever. What does Motherhood mean to you?

*This is my entry for the Gallery - the theme this week is Motherhood. To see more or add your own entry, click here

What does being a responsible tourist mean to you? Obviously we all know we should take only pictures and leave only footprints in the sand... and if you’re flying you might be ‘offsetting’ your airmiles.

Virgin Holidays have just launched their Human Nature Collection, offering holidays ranging from volunteering projects and eco-friendly safaris to stays in small, specially selected hotels. The collection is all about balancing unforgettable experiences with more responsible travel choices, and the holidays directly benefit the local community or contribute to conservation.

I think it’s a pretty good concept and it’s certainly given me food for thought – I’m all in favour of educating our children to be responsible tourists, too. Let me know your views.

Man of the House probably thinks he chose me to be the mother of his offspring. I don't mind him thinking that, but the truth is I chose him. It wasn't just that he was attractive and looked good in a pair of jeans (although that definitely helped). But it was also because I knew we shared the same values and that he would be an excellent dad. Fortunately I was right.

But I know a few men who, on paper at least you would think would make good dads, but have actually fallen woefully short of their partner's expectations in every respect - financial, domestic, nurturing. Of course their children idolise them, which suggests a worrying pattern will be formed, particularly with their sons.

Anyway, with Father's Day a few weeks away, I've been thinking about what makes a man a good dad. Here are my top two non-negotiables - I'd love to hear what you think, too:

*to be a provider for his family - emotionally and preferably financially as well (although of course if he's a Stay At Home Dad that's fine too)

*respect for the mother (this is absolutely paramount, even if the couple have separated)

When No 1 Son was very small, like most boys (and of course some girls) his age he wanted to play football. He supported Chelsea and was a mascot at Stamford Bridge. He happily enrolled in the after school football club. He had boots and shin pads and knee pads, a strip. He collected every World Cup coin and sticker.

There was just one problem. He wasn't very good at football. I'm saying this as his mum, who loves and adores him and is proud of everything he achieves. But he really wasn't very good at football. He was hopeless at tackling, and rarely got control of the ball. When it came time to pick teams for inter-school tournaments, he wasn't chosen. Of course he was upset, particularly when it happened four or five times. After that, he stopped playing football.

Fortunately he enjoyed other sports - tennis, and fencing. And the fact he didn't make the football team hasn't held him back. He has had plenty of opportunity to work as part of a team in science and media studies projects since.

If I think back to my own school days, and the misery of being one of the last to be chosen for netball, it's not surprising that I've never been one for team sports either. I'm a horse-rider, a scuba diver, a snorkeller. You won't find me on a sports team, but I do know how to be a team player.

It's coming up to Non Competitive Sports Day again for many kids. So I'd love to know what you think. Do kids need to take part in team sports to be team players?

Well we knew it was coming, and now it's been confirmed. The £250 Child Trust Fund voucher given to new parents is being phased out, and will be gone completely by next January.

It's a shame because I think what the CTF did for many families is to encourage them to save for their children, and at least encourage them to think about the future. Existing Child Trust Funds will continue to run.

But more worrying perhaps is the future of Child Tax Credits. According to the recent KidStart survey 44% of you believe families earning over 50k a year should continue to receive them. At the moment nothing has been said about what may happen to Child Tax Credits - but I think many of us will be watching nervously over the coming months.

*Don't forget you can deposit your KidStart savings into any UK bank or building society account.

Now as you know I’m a judge for the MADs. The award I’ll be deliberating, cogitating and digesting along with my fellow judges is the MAD Blogger of the Year. But there are nine other categories to vote for – if you haven’t voted yet, you have until June 6 (just click here).

I was familiar with many of the blogs on the shortlist, but I’m pleased to say there were quite a few I’d never read before. So I decided to read each and every one, including the ones written by my friends, and then decide which one to vote for, based on merit – ie, which one seemed to be the best in its category.  How did you decide which ones to vote for?

The thing I love most about the MADs is that it’s a celebration of parent blogging. If you haven’t read many parent blogs before, or you’re thinking of starting your own, or you simply want something new to read, do have a look at the list of nominees here.

And good luck to everyone on the shortlist – I look forward to meeting lots of you at the award ceremony in September!

The only Coronation Street storyline which has held my interest recently has been the one concerning Sally Webster’s breast cancer diagnosis.

Recently, in a cruel example of life imitating art, the actress who plays her, Sally Whittaker, revealed that she herself has been diagnosed with breast cancer.

Sally, 47, is a real life mum (of three) and personally I think it’s brilliant she’s decided to speak out about her diagnosis and treatment.

In her interview with Kate Garraway on GMTV this morning she gave a detailed account of how she discovered a lump and went to get it check out. If you haven't seen it it’s definitely worth watching:

No 1 Son went to school this morning with his hair sticking up like Stig of the Dump, his shirt hanging out and I suspect not having cleaned his teeth. He's at that age now where if I try to comb his hair he pushes me away with a 'Gerroff Mum' and if I ask him if he's washed his face he rolls his eyes and does the exaggerated 'Muummm'.

Not so long ago he had perfectly shiny, combed hair and his clothes were always neat - that was when I was the one responsible for all his grooming *sigh*. All I can hope is that he takes after his father, who is always impeccably dressed, sooner rather than later. In the meantime I guess I'll just have to put up with the scruffiness.

*Do you have a scruffy kid? Do you leave them to it, or do you try to tackle them about it? I'd love to know.

Of all the images on our TV screens yesterday I think there were probably few more moving than the sight of John and Fraser Brown leaving Downing Street hand in hand with their parents.

A few years ago I met Gordon Brown and he revealed he'd put up a climbing frame for his sons in the garden of No 10. 'We have trouble getting them off it and persuading them to go to bed,' he told me.

I know a few people thought it was wrong to let the children be photographed and filmed yesterday. But personally I thought it was wonderful - it's a moment they'll remember for the rest of their lives, as will we. I hope the four of them are very happy in their new life together.

For those of us with children old enough to understand that there was an election last Thursday and that Mum and Dad were voting in it, it was an exciting opportunity to teach our kids about democracy.

We took them to the voting booths, and they watched as we put our voting slips in the big metal box.

But if like me you've had the question 'so who won the election, Mum?' on Friday morning then you might be struggling to answer.

'Was it the party with the most number of votes?' 'No.' 'Why?' 'I don't know. It's very complicated.' 'Who is actually running the country?' 'Hard to say.' 'Who is living at No 10?' 'At the moment, I think no one.' 'Does that mean we don't have a Prime Minister?' 'Yes we do, Gordon Brown is still Prime Minister.' 'But he didn't win the election?' 'Um.... no. No he didn't.' And so on.

How did you explain the results to your kids? I'd love to know.