I MAY have mentioned it once or twice but I have a six-year-old son. Like most parents, my child is my greatest achievement, the light of my life, the apple of my eye.

He is a funny little bundle of innocence and energy, busy soaking up every new experience and asking tons of valid, hilarious and sometimes awkward questions.

We tend to take the direct approach with most of these and tell him the truth, albeit in an age appropriate way.

Parenting any child brings its joys and challenges in equal measures, but it does seem there is a particular focus on raising boys the “right way” currently.

It could be my imagination because I happen to have a son, but a couple of debates have caught my attention in the past few weeks.

The first was a discussion on breakfast telly about whether it is OK for parents to play fight with their children.

My husband and I stopped our morning routine of getting annoyed when one of us is the other one’s way and listened to the conversation.

Rough and tumble style play is definitely a feature in our home.

My son and his dad roll around the floor together, tickling and tussling on a daily basis.

I would not say they “play fight” as such, as there is a strict no punching or kicking rule, but they are definitely very physical with each other and loud with it.

Shrieks and squeals of laughter pour out of both of them as they roll around together.

My husband did the same with his father and brother and similar happened in my childhood, although we did it with my uncle more than my dad.

Rightly or wrongly the debate on TV made us stop and question this behaviour and whether it should be encouraged.

Does it promote aggression or violence in some way?

Will our son grow up with a skewed view when it comes to physical contact with his peers or those he encounters in adulthood?

Probably not, we concluded.

Aside from the fact punching and kicking are not tolerated in our home, even in play, he already has a solid sense of what is right and wrong.

These rough and tumble sessions actually play a huge role in his relationship with his dad.

Trust is at the epicentre of this type of play as our boy knows, without a shadow of a doubt, he will not get hurt in the process and the whole experience for him is based on fun...for my husband too.

The other, probably more contentious issue brought into view this week was the release of the new Gillette advertisement.

You may well have seen this on social media in the past few days, but the brand has changed its well know slogan from “The best a man can get” to “The best men can be” for the campaign.

The ad explores “toxic masculinity” and tackles many issues such as sexism, harassment and bullying with men as the perpetrators.

It references the “Me Too” campaign and makes examples of men who have behaved inappropriately towards women.

The message of the film in short is, while some men have and are making changes to stamp out this kind of behaviour, there is still work to do to make it a thing of the past.

It highlights how the boys of today will be the men of tomorrow and the importance of teaching the next generation how to challenge the unacceptable and be the best version of themselves.

I have watched it several times over now and it is fair to say opinion on the advertisement is hugely divided.

At the time of writing, the video had 17 million views, 454,000 likes and 880, 000 dislikes. Critics have accused the brand of insulting their loyal, predominantly male, customer base and many are now promising to boycott their products.

Others are applauding the company for bringing more awareness to an uncomfortable subject and for encouraging men to step up and speak out.

The first time I watched the advertisement, I did not read any of the comments, good or bad as I wanted to form my own opinion. As the mother of a young male, keen for him to grow up with a liberal mind and, above all, a deep-rooted sense of respect for other people, I believe it carries important messages.

I want him to find bullying, harassment and sexism despicable and I want him to feel he can challenge this. Granted, Gillette have gained a huge swathe of publicity, but how can something reminding people to be kinder and more respectful towards one another be seen as an insult?