Kids are a perfect excuse

ONE of the best parts of having kids is being able to relive your own childhood.

You can play sport with the kids, and they don't care how bad you are at it.

You can play games with the kids and you can easily win.

(And if you do lose, you can pretend you let them win.)

You can go for a leisurely bike ride - and you don't go too far because you, I mean they, aren't up to riding long distances.

Recently we took the kids roller skating.

I gleefully skated round the rink, reliving my younger years of having clip-on skates attached to my runners, while waving at my kids who were clutching the walls to keep upright.

After having a taste of it again I am determined the kids are going to learn how to skate, so I can join them around the streets.

Obviously it is all for their benefit.

More than once I have been glad to have kids as an excuse to see certain movies on the big screen.

I couldn't imagine going to the movies to see Smurfs in 3D without them by my side.

Even better, the kids are always excited when I suggest a movie day, watching the Star Wars movies or back-to-back musicals.

When their birthdays come around you can host dress-up parties and make other parents join in.

From past experience, the grown-ups have just as much fun, if not more, dressing up as pirates or rock stars.

And then there is the food.

What better excuse to have sausage rolls, party pies and cheerios - not to mention the hundreds and thousand biscuits or tic tocs, than a kids' birthday party.

The good thing with kids is they don't even question your decision to have fairy bread for lunch any other day.

The main problem is that kids grow up too fast.

Too soon they will say my movies are for babies and they want to go and play with their friends instead.

Too soon they will say they prefer pizza to party pies.

So if you see a crazy lady skating past, with a big smile on her face, and two kids close by, it could be me, making the most of their childhood.

And making the most of my second one.

Super Mum with Sharyn O'Neill

Twitter: supermum1972