LATE ONE NIGHT, A FEW years ago, I was sitting in my lounge making notes for an upcoming interview. I was getting plenty of work done, when the peace and quiet was suddenly interrupted. My four-year-old son had wandered in for a visit.
Feeling like a cuddle, I thought I’d let him hang out for a bit. But there were rules: he had to sit quietly and he had to sit still. Two difficult things for four-year-olds!
He managed to do what I asked – at least for a few seconds. But it didn’t take long for the talking to start. In fact, it was almost like someone had pressed a hidden ‘play’ button on him – he began chatting non-stop and wriggling around like he had worms (which my wife assures me was not the case …)
Finally, I settled him down by offering to draw a smiley face on his hand. Not just any face mind you, but a face that enjoyed peace and quiet …
Anyway, he got the message, and sat with me quietly while I carried on working … and all was well … until he started farting. To be honest, I had no idea such a cute kid could make such a big stink! He, of course, thought it was a great joke – but it was nearly midnight, and time to put old stinky-pants back to bed.
The peace and quiet didn’t last, though. Because moments later he returned, telling me I’d forgotten something.
I presumed that, after all the farty noises, he now needed to go to the toilet. But no, I was wrong. As it turned out, I’d forgotten to draw eyebrows on the smiley face …
