I remembered something I read on facebook a few months back, today and it really grated it on me. A woman I barely knew but met through other mothers, commented after her 20 week scan that she was, “relieved she was having another girl”. It startled me a little. Surely, we should all want (if we are lucky enough to be able to conceive or even want children in the first place) to have a healthy baby, whatever the sex. That’s the purpose of the 20 week scan after all. To assess the unborn babies’ health and offer diagnosis of any problems. Offering gender where requested and possible is an additional bonus thanks to the advancement of technology.
Maybe the aformentioned woman was relieved because it meant costs would be kept down with a second same sex child (sharing of clothes and the like) although having met her and seen her environment, she appeared to be a very wealthy woman. Maybe knowing girls having had one daughter, she was scared of ‘the other’. It just seemed from that word ‘relieved’ that a boy to her and her husband would be anathema. Why? I’ve heard several women state they would like girls and suprised themselves when they had boys in how happy they were/in love with their child they found themselves and couldn’t imagine anything else. I get it, we’re women, we worry we won’t know how to connect with boys or understand them but you know what, we do. You love your child, whatever the sex and frankly boys are fabulous. It’s about time someone stuck up for the male sex.
P.S. I’m sure girls are fabulous too. I’d have been happy with either but was made up to have a boy.
P.P.S. I also realise culturally there can be pressure to produce one sex over the other. I think this is wrong and welcome the changes to the Monarchy and hope it becomes law that the eldest daughter can reign. Let’s see.
I wrote a piece a while back on the Powder Room about Victoria Beckham’s obsession with having a girl and what it means to have a boy.
Have you forgotten it already? Shame on you. Too busy tweeting, facebooking and living your life online were you? ET phoned home back in the 80′s- was that the last time you did too?
I don’t know about you, but I need a phone in my life. Yes I struggled to remember my last call. It took a whole two minutes. It was in fact to my brother to say I bought two Krispy Kremes for him from Tesco. Fascinating stuff and a text message would had sufficed but I wanted to hear his reaction in REAL TIME. This is the kid who would drive 50 miles to get a Krispy Kreme before a factory was built nearby. 50 miles!
Some of my closest friends (most whom live in London) hundreds of miles away, are friends I always spoke to on the phone and it keeps us connected in a way FB fails to. You see the phone is intimate and unfilitered. It’s for all the things we can’t say publicly online and makes up for the times I don’t see my girls. Yes you can send emails but does an email really replace hearing your mates’ laughter, frustration and crazy stories? I don’t think so.
I must clarify. When I say phone, I mean mobile phone. The landline seems to be resting in peace. That really is something I should re-embrace though to prevent hypocrisy. Far cheaper for a start and means I can actually take time out for that phone call, leaving filmmaking, child rearing, work emails aside and just listen. And talk. I love to talk.
As a mother, I’m expecting some thoughtful gifts for my fabulous motherly duties this Mothers Day. No one else can dance and drive like me for a start and that kind of booty shaking behind the wheel, needs some rewarding! Unlike Valentines and my husband’s pleas of, “Oh I didn’t realise it was Valentines”, this time he’s getting some notice. A WHOLE month’s notice.
When the folks at Getting Personal got in touch with ideas for Mothers Day Gifts I thought this would be the perfect opportunity to send some inspiration Pete’s way!
My favourite from their collection is the beautiful Engraved Heart Pearl Bracelet. A timeless piece that oozes sophistication and with a personalised heart too. I think I’d opt for my child’s engraved initials. It comes in ivory or grey freshwater pearls and for £32.99 is super good value.
Finally as a screenwriter and blogger I love my collection of notebooks and have one by my bed for pre sleep inspiration and at least two in my handbag at all times. This personalised notebook with my favourite sweets of all time: love hearts is super cute and I couldn’t possibly lose it with my name written all over it! At £5.99 it’s a total bargain!
I’ve not gone insane. OK maybe a little. You see trucks, tractors and automobiles are slowly taking over my life. My toddler is obsessed. So obsessed we’ve now taken to watching trucks in slow motion on Youtube. I know. I never signed up for this.
Check out the video below. This is one of Oliver’s favorites. The Godfather of youtube truck videos. Note the soft focus, panning shots and slo mo of the mammoth off road trucks. It’s a love letter to trucks all over the world. Have you seen how many hits this video has had? OVER 5 MILLION VIEWS. Think I’m changing direction in my career. Forget compelling character driven drama, trucks are where it’s at. Well according to 5 million toddlers… or one lonely truck driver with a lot of time on his hands. Enjoy.
Family friend Christine Boothroyd runs luxury serviced apartments in Leeds The Chambers (the no 1 hotel in Leeds voted by Trip Advisor) and kindly shared her recipe for delicious oat biscuits with me. Christine always leaves 2 of these large homemade treats for her guests, along with tea in each room and they reminded me of staying at hotels in LA.
They are the perfect baked biscuit gift for a belated Valentine’s Day. Enjoy!
Ingredients:
100g unsalted butter
2 tablespoon golden syrup
100g plain flour
100 g caster sugar
75g oats
1teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
Melt the butter with the syrup in a pan and add the plain flour, sugar, oats and bicarbonate soda. Mix well and let it cool so you can make into walnut size balls. Cook 12-15 mins at 180 degrees in the oven. Cool then consume!
P.S. Papa G will be back next week with one of his Greek recipes. He’s having a Greek siesta this week!
About HonestMum
Vicki is film reviewer for BBC Radio Leeds. Catch her slot every Thursday @ 11:00 AM on the Wes Butters show.
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