Ok, I might be a bad mum for being a busy working mum, but i've got no choice. I do however limit my hours at work to a 30 hour week, and have 3 full days a week with my daughter. If I have a day off for any reason, even if I'm sick, I keep her home with me too. If she is sick, I take the day off of course to care for her.  She is up at 5am and we spend quality time together. We go hiking, visit the museum, are members of both the local aquarium and the wildlife sanctuary near us and we go there once a month.  We go to the park nearly every weekend for an afternoon, we spend all day tuesday doing just us things.

I work to put a roof over our heads, I get no assistance from her father or from anyone else, and if that makes me a bad person in your eyes then so be it, but I provide for my child and I can tell you now she won't be going to some public education school when she starts school, she'll be going to a catholic school and I will be able to afford it.

I don't swear in front of my child except when we were nearly hit by a truck but when she repeated what I said I explained to her that it was a naughty word that adults sometimes say when they are frightened.  I don't for a moment think that drinking and smoking is good for a person. I don't smoke, nor do I let smokers within 10metres of my front door, but I do drink and when my daughter is an adult she can make a choice on drinking for herself.  I don't drink often, but I will be having a couple at our Easter bbq on Saturday and it will be in front of children.

Just one last thing, too, no it's not wise to let my daughter stay up for that extra half hour when she is clearly wanting to go to sleep by 7! If she says to me "Mum I want you to put me to bed" I take that to mean she wants me to read to her and give her snuggles in bed together while she falls asleep.  It's not hypocritical at all, it's teaching her boundaries.

K well the smoking (unfortunately I smoke), I WON"T disagree with you that it is just plain bad. We try to smoke as little around her as possible and have been battling to quit. We don't smoke in the house but when we go out we do. Not good I know but we are trying.

Your right monkey see monkey do, however, I think that if you make a really big deal out of things like that you are gauranteed to have a kid that may not say it in front of you (cuz they know they will get in trouble) but at school or in play with the other kids. I think that just teaching them that there are things for adults and some things for kids will help with some of those things. There is nothing wrong with having a few drinks in front of your kids. BUT falling down stupid drunk is a totally different story. Moderation emmysmum is all that is meant here. You don't want to damage your kids but having them sheltered isn't good either. I was a sheltered kid and when I hit my teens I was out of control. Ran away did drugs the whole bit.