Ask your Dad!

[Mrs TP]

I am a full time mummy to my 3 beautiful girls and two crazy cats who I swear can also miaow the word 'mum' when they want something. I was out all day today at a Christmas craft fair selling my hubby's beautiful photos (http://marketprints.co.uk/ - shameless promotion, sorry) whilst he was on full Daddy duty with the girls and cats.

I had just finished setting my stall up and was enjoying my last cup of tea before the mad rush when my eldest daughter (11) texted me with a very minor problem from home - err 'speak to your Dad about it' was my reply. I love'em to bits and am there for them 95% of the time but my goodness why can't they ever ask their Dad whatever it is and give me a break, arghhhhhhhhhhhhh .......

[amydown]

There are things I am incapable of doing in the eyes of my 3-yr toddler:

- changing batteries (oh dear, never mind. Daddy will be home soon to put some new batteries into that extremely annoying tune-making fire engine)

- turning the Wii on (you know mummy doesn't know how to turn the "TV game" on for you. Sorry dear.

Very naughty but gives me a way out :)

[Fuschia]

Ad: snap!!

[Pickle]

The noisy Buzz Lightyear needs new batteries? Ok, bring it here. Ooooh, look, it needs a screwdriver to open it, Mummy doesnt know about screwdrivers...

[mrs.lotte]

Hmmm, in my rapid descent into turning into my mother I really don't know how to work the wii or the DVD or Sky. However this is because a man has set the interconnecting system up to be unnecessarily complicated.

Mrs TP, I reckon it's just a mum thing, I work f/t and rather more than my husband and he is v.hands on but they still want me to do everything, all the time.

Ho hum, one day not too far from now we will be begging our kids for a small crumb of attention rather than enjoying the freedom to drink wine and read the paper.

[Mrs TP]

Yeah the grass is always greener and mummy redundancy is lurking on the horizon ... But no payout for all those years of service or a retirement party.

There are some things that I insist only Daddy can do (gluing broken toys) but they just don't hassle him to death until they are done, instead just quietly resign themselves to the 'Daddy queue' and said toy is left for months behind the food recycle bin in the kitchen until one day it is miraculously repaired and he is treated like the prodigal father and it is all hail the new king of glue ...

Not bitter really just wishing they would occasionally say 'Dad blah de blah ...'

[tiddles]

oh yes Mrs TP, I know exactly what you mean. My children have been known to call for me to help them when their father is in the same room!!

grrr

[pebbles]

I too can't use a screw driver or fix ANYTHING that's broken :)

MrsTP - just looked at your husbands photos - they're truly awe inspiring, absolutely gorgeous

[Jessie]

It was a VERY steep learning curve when I became a single mum. Now I'm a pro at all the things I used to get my ex do.

[etta166]

pebbles Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> I too can't use a screw driver or fix ANYTHING

> that's broken :)

>

What about the gender politics and re-inforcement of negative geneder sterotypes that this teaches!!

I hate the noises that my kids toys make too, so we just run out of batteries quite regularly or have to wait for them to re-charge for about a week or so.

[Scruffy Mummy]

I'm the tech savvy pro in our household - mr. scruffy bows to my superior wisdom in in this regard. I once had a paniced phone call while I was away on a cours about why he couldn't access his email. Talked him through the various solutions (turn router on & off, etc. etc) and eventually helped him discover the problem. He is more stotic with the 'yuck' duties (i.e. fox poo in garden) however.

[Helen GV]

I see the benefit of pretending but can't bear the thought that my son will think I can't do something because I'm female! I change batteries, light bulbs, take out the trash, fix the toys, pump up tyres, drill holes etc

For the life of me though I cannot set a mouse trap! Will dispose of the body though.. ;0)

[Fuschia]

Despite being capable of fixing an outboard motor, maintaining a dive compressor and dismantling my scuba kit, I I am quite happy to pretend I cannot change batteries

Otoh my children think men can't drive, as mr f doesn't

"But mummy, if there is a family with two daddies, do they have to always go on the bus?"