“An opinion is a person's ideas and thoughts towards something. It is an assessment, judgment or evaluation of something. An opinion is not a fact, because opinions are either not falsifiable, or the opinion has not been proven or verified. If it later becomes proven or verified, it is no longer an opinion, but a fact.”

But then what happens when opinion cannot be verified or proven or what proof is found is ambiguous and therefore contestable. I had a lengthy debate with a friend about whether you can say someone’s opinion is wrong. And I still maintain that you cannot say an opinion is wrong, any more than you can say it is right, it is an opinion. Freedom of thought should surely be the last refuge of human rights. As it is we claim to have freedom of speech but we don’t have true freedom of speech because we are constrained by the law to limit ourselves to society’s standards of what is right and wrong in what we say to, and about, fellow society members. But our thoughts are our thoughts, and it is really the only right and privilege we have that we can think as we want to think. I took this subject out with me in the evening and mentioned it to a couple of chaps I was rehearsing with. It was interesting that one of them agreed and one of them disagreed. Clearly opinion is divided.

What started the debate in the first place was somehow lost in the process.

It all began I believe with my voicing my views on society and more especially the media and the double standards that they apply to situations. Probably what I had at the back of my mind but never got as far as talking about was my firmly held opinion that society trivializes motherhood. It is a contentious statement to make but I have for many years felt that motherhood is not something that society encourages people to look on as a central issue in their lives. It is something we do as a side issue. When I had my children I was incredibly lucky because I did not have to juggle it with a career and 24 years and 18 years down the line I can look back and I feel absolutely no regrets about the way I brought my children up. I have over the years occasionally felt inadequate because I did not wish to have a career as well; I chose to be a full-time parent because I believe that it is the most important job any woman - who is lucky enough to have children - will ever get to do. But I have also over the years spoken to so many more women who have been less fortunate. They will defend themselves against criticism on this score - before and without it ever occurring since I criticize no-one’s life choices. They will quickly make a case for why they chose to go out to work and leave their children with a child-minder or a nanny as though they are trying to appease their own consciences. They throw money and possessions and treats and expensive holidays at these offspring in the hope of somehow making up for it. You can feel the sadness in them so palpably sometimes. And I feel so much for these people. It has been said that rearing babies and small children is not as exciting as some high-flying career types would need – not challenging enough, not stimulating enough, not important enough. Why? Surely it is as interesting and stimulating as you choose to make it. My mother is a highly intelligent lady who for the most part was a full time parent. She subjected us to an incredible array of stimuli because she was intrigued and fascinated by so many things herself and who better to learn with and educate than her mini-mes. This is the woman who read us Kafka and Orwell for bedtime reading for goodness sake! I didn’t, incidentally. Motherhood though is looked on as something that is ok for a side-line but it isn’t something you want to put your whole time and effort into and this I disagree with – I think it is and it should be. How long are little ones little, not very long, and how long is your working life? Considerably longer!

I watched Grand Designs last night with the 78 year old lady who built a house at the end of her garden. We have a lifetime to do the things we want to do so I don’t see that it is a huge problem to donate of few of those years absolutely to each of our children and thereby creating the future.

But hey this is only my opinion.