DAD'S WORLD: It’s nice to have some spirit-lifting positivity

My two year old son loves to see me in photos. He points and jabs at the picture excitedly. It’s very cute, and makes me quite emotional. He genuinely seems glad and excited to see me. Which is nice.

It’s nice to have some spirit-lifting positivity from your young son when human civilisation seems to be spiralling the drain. The stress of being one of the many millions of corks swept along on the various floods of chaos that seem to be engulfing us makes me feel weary and old and stupid and worthless. Especially when you see actual children protesting in the streets about things most of us adults just shrug our shoulders about.

“Wake up Daddy!” My two year old shouts at me at 3am, ratcheting my eyelids open with his pudgy little fingers. He may be trying to open my eyes to the climate crisis. Or maybe he’s just bored because he can’t sleep and wants me to entertain him. If he knows what climate change is, I’m sure he regards it as considerably less important than his own boredom. I wonder whether he is aware of the global tragedy of the abuse and torture of slightly older, worn out parents who can’t form new memories because of sleep deprivation.

“Daddy! Daddy! It’s you Daddy!”

He’s jabbing a picture. Someone has kindly popped a political leaflet through our door. On the front is a large picture of the leader of the party in question. “It’s you Daddy!”

“Oh.” I say, dispirited. I don’t think that man looks anything like me. Either my son thinks that every man in a photo is me, which is disappointing, or this chaotic world, and my son’s tireless activism, has aged and disfigured me more than I realised.