Today my son put me on something of a guilt-trip. After seeing a photo of my husband and I, he declared: "that must be a really old photo mum! How old were you then?"

"Why must it be old?" I asked.

"Because you look so much younger on that photo, Mum! You weren't fat then..." What?? Fat?? The photo was only taken four years ago, and surely I haven't put on that much weight since then... Of course, my little daughter came along soon after that photo was taken, and I haven't lost all the weight I put on with the pregnancy. And my husband swears he prefers me two dress-sizes larger than when we forst met. "You look more feminine now," he tells me. "You were far too skinny before."

Yet still, it made me think. Children do have the uncanny ability to blurt out the truth, being too young to have learnt the art of tact. I have bulges now which weren't there before. But strangely enough, I do prefer my new shape! I have hips now, so my waist looks thinner (even though it isn't!), and curves where I once sprouted fried eggs... I only wish I could believe that husbands are allowed to be honest with their wives about their figure!

Do "yummy mums" really need to go to the gym? I think I'd prefer watching a few keep-fit dvd's with my daughter and cutting out chocolate for a month. A much less expensive (and less daunting) prospect than slugging it out at the gym!