After the nightmare: a mother’s murder and a father left alone to raise his family
If you can’t do it, don’t even try. I would list baking, ironing, nit-combing, roasting and plaiting as some of the many accomplishments I knew were beyond me. So I never tried.
Let your children get on with it. The girls became very self-sufficient very fast. I once said to Jessica that bringing them up is the achievement I am most proud of in my life. “Bringing you up, Daddy, was Lucy’s and my proudest achievement. Mind you, I’m not sure that I would allow my eight-year-old to grill toast.”
And finally, when the house becomes too messy, move.
Mummydaddy, by Jeremy Howe, is published by Pan Books, priced £7.99. To order through the Yorkshire Post Bookshop call 0800 0153232 or online at www.yorkshirepostbookshop.co.uk.