One of the many things which put me off about having children was that I knew my life would never be the same again. I would never enjoy the same freedom. Gone would be the days when impulsive decisions to go to the cinema or out for a run or out to dinner with friends would be easy.

I remember people telling me that after our first born arrived I would be relegated in importance in the house. My career wouldn’t be as important any more. It all sounded deeply forbidding. And I wasn’t convinced by mothers and fathers who told me how much fun it was being a parent. These were the same people who looked older, greyer, had more wrinkles and had long since given up on wearing fashionable clothes and trying to appear care-free. Why wear a good quality leather “Shaft” style jacket when going out? It will only be sprayed with vomit within seconds of taking out of the bag. A decent car-coat made from some ghastly washable fabric and generously decorated with pockets would be far more practical. In fact, from now on the measure of how practical something is would become far more important than how it looks or how it might improve your status with your mates.

Everything we buy is now judged on its practicality. It may look good but just how “practical” is it?… Out of ten…. An eight? OK go ahead and buy it, but if it’s only a five or a six keep looking until you find the “right” one, whatever the product.

It’s not just material things which change I realise. It’s my attitude, my perception and my interpretation of what matters.

I never thought it would happen to me, but…. I find myself looking at life from a new viewpoint. If it isn’t practical then don’t buy it. If it’s fashionable then think twice before taking out the credit card. And you know what, my career really isn’t as important as it used to be. You know why? Because when I see my son each day he gives me a beaming grin and a huge hug and we talk, tickle, read, giggle and play together.

And you know what? Despite the slightly greying hair, the increased number of wrinkles and my abandoned sense of fashion, it’s a lot of fun being a parent…

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