The other night I had a conversation with Adam that blew my socks off. Here’s how it went.
‘Hello Adam.’
‘Hello Dad.’
‘Is mummy reading you a story?’
‘Yes.’
‘Which book is she reading?’
‘This one, it’s this one.’
‘Adam, I can’t see it. You have to tell me its name. What’s it called?’
‘The Snail and the Whale.’
It went on a bit longer, but you get the idea. What made it so noteworthy is that it’s the first time I’ve managed to talk to either of my children on the phone. Despite a few conceptual struggles – I can imagine Adam’s concentrated face as he holds the book up to the phone, not understanding that my voice and my eyes are four miles apart – he came through it pretty well. Adam is almost six and Euan is eight, so I’ve been looking forward to this moment far longer than most parents (some of whom struggle to get their children off the phone at this age), and perhaps it’s a little bit more special for that.
