As toddlers I had to follow them round to make sure they didn't fall over. Then when they were a bit older I was their main source of play.

This often involved either being chased or pummelled, or sometimes both.

Now Gabriel is 13 and Isaac 10, the challenge is more cerebral.

"Why do we have money?" asked Isaac as we went in to town to spend some.

The more intelligent parent explained how money lubricates our world and painted a picture of how things could look without our currency.

Isaac was far from convinced and counteracted my wife's vision with his own Utopian world.

Gabriel called his brother a communist.

"What's a communist then," asked Isaac.

Gabriel laughed. My wife looked at me. I looked back.

"You're the one that did history, tell him," she ordered.

"You're quite right. Ask your teacher Isaac," I replied.

Isaac wouldn't be deterred, however, so we took him through our own potted history of communism, with Gabriel chipping in when he felt we had veered too far from the truth.

"Sounds good to me," said Isaac, "why aren't we all communists then?"
This from the boy who loves nothing more than spending. I can't help but think we missed a bit out somewhere in our history of communism.

It's amazing how quickly we've fallen into the school routine.

I vanish off to work before anyone else is up. My wife makes sure the lads are given the opportunity to have breakfast and sorts out the school run before going to work.

We all reassemble for a non-conversation about what they didn't do at school sometime about five-ish, then spend the next couple of hours doing separate things around the house before retiring to bed.

Communication is kept for the weekends, where it has been known for conversations to occur, and for the boys to reluctantly engage in family activities. But not often.


Isaac's timekeeping has always been atrocious. My wife and I are horrified if we're late to anything. Gabriel has the same trait. Isaac cares not one jot.

There has always been a daily battle to get him ready for school in time, and the same has also been true for his ju-jitsu classes and Sea Scouts.

Lateness is just not an issue for him, he's never cared if he's not on time, and no amount of lecturing from his parents has managed to change his slipshod attitude.

Recently, however, he's been remarkably keen to get to school on time – early in fact. He's been given the job of helping prepare a classroom for Reception classes before school starts.

And he is now insisting on leaving the house in time to allow him to
perform his duties.

I find this change in direction very difficult to understand. What could be the secret behind this dramatic character change?