Playing with their toys and reading their books is definitely a perk of parenting - also watching Phineas and Ferb - and a certain amount of discrete scientific observation is also reasonable, IMHO.

On the one hand, I don't think you should be put off your hobbies by what other people might think; on the other hand, Jeremy Clarkson is a parent, so HHCIB - I think you are as eligible as anyone else ever is ;-)