to think that there is a larger than average number of perfect mothers with perfect children around on MN these days?

[emkana]

With children who will just admire the view in the car, and who will appreciate the delights of historic sites without the added attraction of a playground, and who can be taken along to dinner where they will join in with adult conversation...

Oh right. Just wondered as it seemed to be seen as the product of the devil on here!!! No worse than alot of other soft drinks then. Thanks

i drank a fruit shoot once. just to see what it was like.

it was just as shite tasting as i thought it would be.

yuk.

I see Marina mentioned my thread on the 'stupid' programme, honestly though I was horrified by it, I'd rather let my DC's watch little britain.

I go to Maccy D's, can't beat a quarter pounder with cheese and extra onion
Also, I've taken the DC's to places that might bore them, last weekend we went round a ruined nunnery and they dont need a play area there, wouldn't have an issue with them playing on it though.

I don't think I'm perfect, far from it, but rarely have real issues with the DC's behaviour or argue with DP, and that's not bullshit, it's true, my life is good, I'm really fucking happy which I think I deserve so I won't apologise for it or pretend otherwise, I bet if you searched my name you'd find some posts that werent so happy, but each of us has shit in different parts of our lives, it's what makes us human, and different.

I think it all depends on what exactly your priorities are and how you view your life, are you contented and happy with the way things are going? If not I don;t think it's fair to say people who are different to you claim to be perfect, I find people with no TV and the alfie kohn parenting that home ed absolutely amazing cos I couldnt do it, but at the same time rather barmy for trying! It's just a case of different strokes for different folks.

I thoguht our variety was what made MN so great.

fruit shoots are rank though.
Taste like undiluted squash in a stale flask.

E211 The sodium salt of benzoic acid (E210).

Used as a preservative, both antibacterial and antifungal but effective in only slightly acid environments. Also used as an antiseptic, as a food preservative and to disguise the taste of poor quality food.

in lollipops and soft drinks (orange soft drinks may contain high quantities, up to 25mg per 250ml). Can be found in many oral medications.

People who suffer from asthma, aspirin sensitivity or the skin disease urticaria may have allergic reactions and/or find their symptoms become worse following consumption of benzoic acid, particularly in combination with tartrazine (E102).

Not recommended for consumption by children.

britvic who make fruit shoot website have responded as follows
"we recognise parental concern about sodium benzoate, will not use it in new products and intends to remove it from other products "where possible".

researchers concern about soft drink additives and adverse health behavioural effects upon children

I agree Expat I have tasted it and it is unbelievably sweet.

Scottishmummy ...not just fruitshoot then.?

I would rarely buy drinks like these but dcs have had them occasionally when they go out. My dd would choose coke every time at least it doesn't appear to contain sodium benzoate then...... phew that's a relief. She regularly tries to convince me it's good for her.!!!!!!!

damn diet coke has e211, I'm drinking it now and the kids had some earlier.

I confess I haven't read the whole thread but I've found if you post on here about being an awful mum and not coping very well everyone jumps to your defence and shares their own "crap mum" moments to make you feel better!

So actually there are loads of crap mums on here too, a perfect balance

Oh, I'm not perfect at all.

DS is though

Even if he won't eat any normal fruit or veg, still gets into our bed at night on a regular basis, makes a huge fuss about hairwashing, pulls faces and acts 'silly' or reticent when he meets anyone new, has not shot to the top of the ORT series with startling veocity.....

I don't buy fruit shoots as they look and taste disgusting. Ditto twizzlers, etc. If they were tasty, I would, though.

I have days when I give up the good fight over the 5 a day and order takeaways. I say nothing when Granny feeds them hot dogs for tea followed by unlimited choccy biscuits. Not a word.

I let my kids drink fizzy drinks, eat crisps, have sweets, etc as a treat if they have eaten their supper or if they have friends over.Or just because.

I let my kids wear what they want, including trainers with their school uniform as I got sick of buying school shoes that were never worn. I bite my tongue when my DD comes home from shopping with her friends with Primark's latest. I said nothing when my DD age 10 insisted on wearing shabby tracksuit bottoms to her school christmas party.I say nothing when she badly applies mascara and eyeliner TO GO TO SCHOOL. I do not care if others judge my parenting skills by how neat and tidy my children are. My MIL has to ask me specifically to pack "smart" clothes if she is intent on showing them off. Or buy them herself.

I do not choose their friends for them despite wishing my DD would lose one girl that I particularly dislike. She can come for tea whenever my DD wants her to. Thankfully she recently seems to have come to the same conclusion as me about her.And DD does not and will never know that I dislike her.

I do not insist on my children doing their homework. They know that it has to be done and if they don't do it, it is their responsibility and they will get no support from me when they get in trouble with their teachers.Bizzarely they always hand in their homework on time and school reports are glowing.

Oh, and I worked full time until my youngest went to school.

So I think we can agree I am in no way a perfect mother. However, my children and DH think I am and that is all that matters to me. I couldn't give a toss what anyone else thinks.

Really, VS?
I don't think Stupid is much of an achievement in the BBC's children's programming, true, but it is at least age-appropriately made and broadcast pre-9pm.
I think suggesting that Little Britain is "better" viewing for the CBBC audience is bizarre tbh. Ds is probably one of the last children in his year (4) to NOT be allowed to watch any 12A film he asks for, nor to be allowed to watch any weekday TV post 7pm, so I am really not going to beat myself or anyone else up for letting him watch a programme on CBBC.

I'm a shite mother and my children are feral.

I went to a friend's house once.

She'd made some cookies

She gave to cookies fro the adults and the children got cunting rice cakes

I shared my cookie with DS1 - it was unfair of me to munch lovely choc chip and cranberry biscuits while he was eating something which tasted of cardboard.

My friend was horrified She said "Oh, I can't believe you give him sugar!"

Reader, I chose not to tell her about the Burger King he'd had for supper the night before. He was 2.5 then, btw

I was the only poster on a recent thread to admit to allowing my children to have sweet stuff daily

Oh that is incredibly mean Sheik - what does that tell children about hospitality and sharing. You should all have had rice cakes!

Coco pops for breakfast anyone?

adda chocolate spread sandwich to that Double Bluff

Lol marina

Seriously, it's not giving a good message to the children is it.

I love seeing my kids with little choccy smeared faces. Why should I eat something in front of them that they can't have? I'd say 90-95% of the time mine do have a healthy diet and FGS, what the fuck is wrong with a home-made biscuit.

Nutter

Well, same here. Carrot batons, sauteed spinach, mango, a pear, fruit juice and leek soup yesterday. How is a home-made cake neglectful in that context sheik?

I went to a montessori drop in play session once and they had cheap biscuits for the kids (whish they gave at the same time as the fruit, really dumb) and posh ones for the mums!

I made leek soup yesterday as well Marina. It was delicious.

I wish my kids loved soup you could put so much good stuff in there.

i personally think you are being unfair about the leeds castle thread, she was not claiming to be perfect, just narked off, at the amount of play parks popping up everywhere!!!
i too find this annoying, especially as parks are free, if you are looking for this kind of entertainment for your dcs, but if you pay to have a family day out, there is nothing worse than having to spend the whole day in yet another play area!!
i am certainly not perfect, not by a long shot, and my parenting skills are erratic, BUT i do the best i can.... isnt that all we can do????

msappropiate - putting small meatballs into the soup encourages my children to eat it.