Silly Dad

A confession: I’d dreamt of nomadic adventure on a campervan when I was young. Hands up if you think the dream is romantic. Yes, it might seem so at first blush, but it’s a big leap out of our comfort zone.

So before you get fooled into craving a year-long campervan trip with your wife and kids, go read the book On the Road … with Kids by John Ahern. He quit his job, rented out the house and spent a whole year on the road. With his wife, a four-year-old girl and a two-year-old boy. That’s a story funnier and sillier than Peppa Pig. I nearly fell off the chair laughing at his struggle with the chemical toilet.

As I read on, I couldn’t hide the flush of embarrassment creeping up my neck. Those are the oh-so-familiar silly stories of Daddy Pig (read “every daddy” – me included). When his kid bumped his head or had nosebleed, there was the oh-so-familiar calling “Mummy! I want mummy!” Ditto for playground fight and disaster. The daddy was so accustomed to being second fiddle to Mum in those moments. To put this in John Ahern's terms, daddy usually stands by, “as wanted and useful as tits on a bull.” I have to agree.