As we enter a new dawn, there are many phrases which have stuck in people's minds. Some will remember the words uttered by Martin Luther King as part of his poignant civil rights speech, but others will remember the lyrics to the Westlife song which made Christmas number one.

The end of the 20th century sees the adoption of so many different philosophies. Those who are not necessarily religious have still got other things to rely on such as astrolog or Feng Shui which helps you to release your inner energy by focusing on the position of your furniture. Others have become besotted with Star Trek or the Simpsons or simply taken on themes, such as, er, song lyrics.

They think that some words are so wise that they must mean something.

Of course, this is ridiculous. Most song words are meaningless such as, "Come on Barbie, let's go party," or "boom, boom boom, I want you in my room."

My favourite song lyrics are from that big song from the early nineties by Meatloaf called I Would Do Anything for Love but which is followed by...But I Won't Do That.

What a great song title and what utter nonsense! But they are words which I use daily and can be so usefully applied to my daily life.

For example, I would do anything for a quiet life. No, I mean it, absolutely anything. But I wouldn't actually do anything, you know, bad. So therefore, I wouldn't do absolutely anything would I?

And sometimes I feel like I could really do with a cream cake. Um, I think to myself, I'd do anything for a cream cake. But if someone said, would you kill for a cream cake, then of course, I wouldn't do just anything for a cream cake.

There are other examples. Even as the song says, I would do anything for love, let us apply that to Toddler. And yes, there are occasions when you think that you love your children so much that you would do absolutely anything for them.

For example, when they are asleep and look so cute and delicious with their soft little cheeks and pink little toes and fluffy hair. You could stare at them for hours as they have their little dreams about being chased round the nursery by the big bad wolf with a spoon of peas.

Ah, you say, I'd do anything for my baby. Anything. And then they suddenly wake up and ask: "Mummy, can I have some juice?" and you snap, "Shut up, and go back to sleep. I'm not getting out of my cosy bed and going in the cold kitchen matey."

Of course, after a bit of whinging you do have to do as they say. There isn't really any escape.

So actually you do have to do anything. But, oh, I don't think I'd like to do that.

Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.