A question I was asked in “Dear Dad” was “What do you think your parents thought of you as a child”?

Interesting.  It’s not until later life that you actually care what they thought of you.

I think they were proud of me as a child;  I was imaginative, too old for my age, absorbed information like a sponge, and was generally a hard working, pleasant boy.

I wasn’t at all into sport, which I think didn’t sit well with Dad.  As a child  I would go with him every Saturday and watch him play bowls, but only because most of the venues had a children’s playground.   in later life, I actually loved going to watch him play especially at the Notts. EBA Headquarters in Nottingham, where I was very proud of him and his bowling achievements.  I hope he realised that.

When younger brother Jeffrey (Jeff) came along, he was into every sport imaginable and he ably filled the spot in my Dad’s heart that I had failed to satisfy.  And to some degree I felt a little bit left out, but it didn’t matter as my own pursuits kept me well occupied.  Even today Jeff is the more competitive sportsman while I’m the slightly lazy, studious academic.

But I came into my own with Dad when it came to the more practical things – he would teach me the best way to cut the lawn, or we would strip down the engine of our car to adjust the tappets, and while I was there holding the tools I couldn’t think of any place I would rather be.

As we’ve grown older, I know there isn’t any competition between us, we were and are loved equally, and we are appreciated for different aspects of our lives.

And I’m proud that mum and dad were proud of me.    It makes all the hard work worth while.