You won't remember the 2004 British game show Shattered. Nobody does. A group of contestants were put in a house and were not allowed to sleep for a week. The pool of prize money shrank whenever somebody dozed off, and the eventual winner walked away with £97,000. It had a cult following among university students with too much time on their hands, but it understandably bombed in the TV ratings.

A decade later, with a two-week-old baby in my house (as well as a two-year-old), I understand why. Who would want to watch a show that reminds them of the sleep deprivation that comes with the joy of parenting? At least in the show it was only one week. I have friends with three kids under three - a sleepless week for them is a breeze.

"Frustrating": Blokey peer pressure and insinuations that stay-at-home dads are doing women's work.

While discussing the imminent birth of my daughter with these friends a few weeks ago, conversation turned to new roles for dads as they try to play a larger part in raising children.

They were all proud dads, husbands and boyfriends. Most were in solid careers and some were even making payments on their first house. Despite the best efforts of both government and employers to provide parental leave entitlements, however, their choice of whether to stay at home with their own newborn had not been as simple as it should be.