LOL, braggadocio.
He can't hear you Poirot, he's speeding along the coast road in a Mercedes convertible, his white scarf flapping in the breeze, a pipe clenched in his teeth and a 20 year old actress sitting beside him swigging Krug out of the bottle.

Sorry Bruce, must have confused you with another bloke. So many men on this thread telling women that their experiences, knowledge and insights are irrelevant and wrong I must have got you mixed up with someone else.

Isn't it great when the children you're responsible for raising fly out and do well. My eldest is working for BHP. He's got a double degree and loving the challenge. Not only because of the changing conversation happening within mining. My other son is with the ADF, a combat engineer. One is married with a little boy, The others are all still at uni and living away from home fending for themselves.

Though starting the thread, you clearly believe that feminism is now irrelevant. I don't agree. The reason as I tried to outline is because there are still issues within our society, neither men nor women, have quite worked out how to deal with yet.

The raising of children is one of them. Marriages/relationships don't only end because people 'fall out of love', but because there are incompatible expectations on one or both partners on the role and responsibilities of the other.

It sounds like within your family these are non-issues and that is how it is in mine. But that is not always the case and I really think that rather than focusing on the nuclear family, which is a rather modern concept anyway, we need to get back to the idea that it takes a 'village' to raise a child. I know the whole motherhood vs loving a career is a huge conflict and struggle for some women.

The discussion Motherhood or career, or can women have both is quintessential a female discussion. Men can have both without too much navel gazing. This is a good thing. Women should too.

Otb, in your family do the women all toe the obedient little woman line and wait until you tell them what to believe? Suppose that means it's nice and quiet at least in your house.

I was with you right until the end Yvonne, but that's ok, you gave me a good laugh.
No, all the women in my family and circle are exceedingly independent and quite forceful about it, as is my daughter and as was my ex', which explains why she decided that my career as a chef was putting too much strain on her and she walked.
The fact that the Family Court eventually gave me custody was mostly down to her playing silly-buggers and also not trying to fight it overly enthusiastically, to put it a tad simplistically.
I raised my daughter, and the boys, to think for themselves, to question and seek data, and to think things through. I supported them as best I could, from an early age they could ask for changes within our household and if they could present a cogent reasoning and it didn't interfere with anything I would accede, deliberately building their self-belief and sense of control of their own lives.
As they reached 14 I informed them each that from then on any requests for permission would be refused, I expected them to TELL me what, where, when, how, etc, and if I thought it wise I would ASK that certain limits or conditions be accepted.
It worked well, to the horror of my friends and family, but I had trained them and I trusted them, what better way to prove it?
(and by so doing I neatly undercut the rebellious phase virtually all teenagers go through.)
I'm sure there were things I never knew or heard about but then there always are anyway, and I truly believe they behaved less riskily than they otherwise would have, simply because it was up to them and not ME!

Oh, and Poirot?
Are you suggesting I should take a more gentlemanly tone with the lady?
Or that I mustn't disagree with her or raise uncomfortable questions?
Otherwise, I may express myself a little bluntly but I feel I'm communicating more effectively thereby.

G'dayBruce,

"Oh, and Poirot?
Are you suggesting I should take a more gentlemanly tone with the lady?
Or that I mustn't disagree with her or raise uncomfortable questions?"

Do what you like.

I'm sure we're all enthralled....

Dear Poirot,

You've hit the nail on the head.

I am enthralled.

Goodness me - how could I not be.

The man is a virtuoso.

A glitterbomb of glory.

One simply wants to orbit around his splendour like
a satellite.

Is it any wonder that I feel inadequate and unable
to answer any of his questions.

I am truly over-awed.

Nothing is as frustrating as arguing with someone
who knows what he's talking about. ;-)