Just like you, only better (Vicarious living is better living!)

[The Enigmatic Dr X]

Done some daft stuff in the past? Learned your lesson? Then pass it on to your sprog.

This is a thread about age. Some of us... should... know better. And the ones to tell it to are our kids.

They're the ones who can learn from us. What I have learned (as the father of an 18, 15, and 13 year old at this point) is that I have a massive influence even though they try to hide it from me. Recently, my oldest went for a job interview. I told him what kind of questions he might expect. He scoffed off to his bedroom, where I then heard him rehearsing answers to my questions. He got the job... out of a few thousand applicants.

So this is a thread for parental pride. For the love of the Sprog.

What have you done to inspire - begrudgingly - your not so little ones?

Tomorrow, my youngest is playing in a football cup final. The Lanarkshire 2010 Cup. I am very proud; their team is one of dozens across various leagues. He is a centre back and better than I ever was, but I like to delude myself that my tips have helped him.

I really hope he does well. And a little part of me thinks he might have got there through my advice...

[The Legendary Shark]

I don't have children of my own but I do see a lot of them on the campsite.

The other day I was pulling up nettles from our woodland when a young eight or nine year old lad fetched up with a football in his arms.

"You pullin' up all the nettles?" he asked.

"Yes I am," I said.

He nodded, deep in thought while he picked his nose. "Issat so we don't get hurt?"

"Yes," I said. Then I picked a dock leaf with the intention of passing on some old country wisdom to him. I held up the leaf and asked, "Do you know what to do if you get nettled?"

"Yes," he said with absolute confidence, "I'd get me mum."

Can't argue with that, I suppose.