Carnation

Sometimes I see some really sick questions, that YA allows. Other times I see very innocent questions, that get deleted. For example, one of the deleted questions was about mishearing song lyrics. Surely everyone has done that? For example in Abba's Super Trouper, I thought one line was, "When I called you last night from Tesco's."

I sometimes see questions from people who are panicking because a baby is un-named. In England we don't have to register their birth until they are 6 weeks old, while in Scotland they only have 3 weeks. Is it different in other countries?

1] Did your mother breastfeed any of her children?

Yes

No

Don't Know

2] If yes, what was the longest she did it for?

Less than a week

Up to 1 Month

Up to 3 months

Up to 6 months

Over 6 Months

Don't know

Did she try to put you off, or encourage you to breastfeed when you were expecting your first child?

Did you breastfeed your 1st child initially?

If yes, how long did you do it for?

My mother remarried after she was widowed. Some people think it's disrespectful to my step-dad, to refer to him as such, or call him by his first name rather than 'Dad'. I think it would be disrespectful to my late father to call another man 'Dad', as I was old enough to know a person can only have one father. My step dad knows I respect him, as my mother's second husband.

It's supposed to be romantic if a man proposes to his girlfriend 'out of the blue', goes down on one knee and presents her with a ring. If you are a man and did this, did you get her ring size right by guessing? Or did you give her a hint you might propose, so you could find out?

I'm just wondering, as my husband took me shopping for my ring, after I accepted his marriage proposal.

Dock leaves are a well known antidote for nettle sting, and the Romans were said to have deliberately introduced stinging nettles to Britain. I was told in history lessons, they whipped themselves with nettles, to cope with the cold!

1] Are you a] married b] engaged

2] When did you start living together? a] Before you got engaged b] after you got engaged? C] You are engaged, but not living together, or did not live together until marriage.

5] Did you ask the woman's father for their permission to marry, or if you are a woman did the man ask him?

6] If permission was asked, was it because of one of you being under age to marry without it?

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If her Dad said , "NEVER!" What would you have done?

1] Respected his view as the elder, and split up.

2] Lived together, hoping he would change his mind

3] Tried for a baby, so he would DEMAND you got married?

4] Say something like: We live together/ have a child - Your daughter has more protection by the laws of the land. if we are married, and offer to get a lawyers report?

4] You only asked as a courtesy, and felt he should have said yes, so you would marry anyway.

My parents made a fuss when relatives gave us pocket money. Once when I was given 50p for baby sitting for a neighbour, I was not only made to give half the money back, but mum told me off because the neighbour guessed it was not my idea.

A few months later, I was shopping with Mum and my younger brother. We met her boss, who asked us to both choose a Xmas gift from WHS Smith. I thought 'He's an important man, so I must show him I've been well brought up.' I chose a book that was under £2 rather than something for say £10. My brother chose something in the same price range too.

When we got home, Mum told us off for not choosing something better,[ie more expensive] Yet it was the way we were brought up that led us to do what we did. I think she should have told us before-hand we were meeting her boss, and given us guidance as to how much we were allowed to ask for.

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Years later, my mother-in-law said 'No child would give back half the baby sitting money, unless told to, and thought it crazy to expect me to be a proficient liar.

She also thought my mum should have been pleased that her boss could see she did not have greedy children.

Has anything like this happened to you?

Or do you think you would have reacted like my mother?

I did not see the point in going to school after completing my last exam. The last two years are all about preparing for exams, so what do senior students do at school, if they finish the last one, say one or two weeks before the last day of term?

We did not have graduation ceremonies or proms when I was at school. I left in 1976.

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My mother asked if there would be any 'ceremony'. I said if some of the other kids knew I was leaving that day, I might get chucked in the swimming pool. [This did not happen]

Typically men are better at running and throwing than women because their body shape is more streamlined. But many female athletes tend to have a more masculine body shape. Does having a narrow pelvis have a detrimental effect on pregnancy? I am just curious.

I have seen several questions from girls, who want to know how to ask their mother's about 1st bras, buying sanitary protection etc. Some of these girls have already had a period, and are scared to tell their mother.

I can understand that girls might be embarrassed about the subject. I know when I was a pre-teen, I would not have talked about it to friends, even if my mum hadn't said not to. Some might say she shouldn't have told me that - but she did it to protect me from bullying. I was still at primary school and in those days the girls' toilets did not have bins.

But at least I had no hesitation about telling mum when I started, as she told me I would, and what I would have to do to keep clean. She had been in her late teens when she started, but was observant enough to notice that I matured at a younger age.

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A friend of mine was not so lucky. At about age 10 she noticed a pack of pads in the bathroom . When she asked what they were, her Mum said 'I'll tell you later." 'Later', was a few years later was when my terrified friend thought she had a serious injury that caused internal bleeding!

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MOTHERS! The majority of you expect your offspring to live past childhood don't you? For girls this will mean breast development and getting periods! Why do some of you not notice your daughters are approaching adolescence, and prepare them? When a little girl plays dress up and tries your bra on, tell them 'When you think you are big enough for your own bra let me know." By the time they get their first bra, they should know about periods.

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Do some mothers feel it is a rite of passage, for their daughters to 'pluck up courage' to tell mum they have started?

I am doing a survey to find out. Personality wise, she is great, and she is in the age-range you would consider dating. But there is something about her appearance, that puts you off. What would it be?

Why was I asked so many irrelevant questions when registering my daughter's birth? The answers to these are not on her birth certificate, but are they on some government file?

Is this my first child? If not how many others have I got? -- If I have others, they would be registered.

Have I had any abortions or miscarriages? --- The place for this information is my medical notes.

Have I had any children taken into care? -----

I think I was asked other questions like this, but cannot remember them. I have a friend whose husband registered their 1st child's birth. Would he have been asked about his wife's gynae history? If he was, and did not know the answers to some questions, what would happen?

As well as hearing from registrars, I would like to hear the views of other parents on this, and which country you live in.

you live.

My parents taught me how to recite my full name. But on my first day at school when other children asked me , and I gave my middle name, they thought I was being funny! So the first thing I learned at school, was just to give my 1st and last name when asked.

[I have a conventional middle name.]

I was brought up as RC. This was still the custom when my youngest sibling was baptized [1970]. But I noticed it was not done at an RC ceremony I went to in the late 80s. Can any Catholics tell me what the salt represented?

I especially thinking about advice, or being told you MUST do something by a doctor, nurse, or other health professional.

A family friend who was a midwife, came round one day, when my daughter was about 4 months old. She asked if I was getting a baby walker. When I said I did not believe in them, she said I SHOULD get one, and push my daughter to walk.

"Oh really? " I said "Mum didn't have baby walkers for us, but we all managed!"

I felt like asking her if she thought humans invented wheels, before learning to walk upright.

In films, they always have to have a blood test before marrying. Does this still happen? And what if it was going to be a shot gun wedding, but they fail the test?

The following survey results were in an English newspaper. It was about office workers who have affairs.

42% of men and 20% said they had affairs. The survey also said it was mainly 'men in the north' and women in the south.

Can anyone else work out how this can be?