Sunday was the most beautiful summers day: it not only saw victory in the 4th test against New Zealand, but was the youngest Free Markette’s second birthday. Now, studiously avoiding doing any work this morning, I see that the Paratrooper of Love has been considering the rules that will apply to dating his daughter when she reaches that age. Now hunting around on some of my usual reads it transpires that a lot of fathers (here & here) think the same way – I include myself within that…interfere with my little girl & certain practices in Iraqi jails would seem like a holiday camp by comparison.

However, it also forces us ‘stupid’ fathers to confront our own hypocrisy. In younger years, we all have devoted huge amounts of time to sleeping with (or at least trying to sleep with) girls. So the consensus seems to be, its OK to date, just don’t date anyone that is like me when I was young…date the sort of boy I would have spurned for being square. Does age & experience mandate this hypocrisy??

But what about our sons? – what advice do we give them? Always use a condom & don’t say anything until I can get a decent solicitor down to the police station?

I am so confused.