All the niblings were pretty into the World Cup but the six-year-old was extremely into the World Cup. He really likes facts. Be they about Pokemon or football, if he gets a book of statistics he will have it memorised in days. I don't care about football. I'm not in the fandom. But this is the UK so of course I know a lot about football, much more than I care to. Yes, I do know what the offside rule is. So I was quizzing him about World Cup match scores and player stats and just trusting the answers he gave me were correct. I wonder if he assumed I knew. Because adults know everything. Except, I do not actually know who won the World Cup. That would have been an insulting question to pose him. I've already talked to him about football more than I have talked to every other person, in my entire life, about football. I hope he has no idea I find football the game, and certainly football the facts, extraordinarily boring. It is not boring when he gets excited about it and I will talk to him about football every day forever if necessary. When they are born you think, I will do anything for this child. I will have all the time in the world for them. They will always have my full attention. I will always be interested in their interests. I will listen to whatever they have to tell me. I will be a safe, enthusiastic, non judgemental, unconditional space for them. Then, six years later, they will come to you and say, "Can we watch the Minions movie?" Every cell in your body will scream. You would rather talk about your least favourite thing - like football. Anything, please. Anything in the world. We have only one finite life, you want to tell them. This is fifty minutes none of us will ever get back. The emptiness of the void will call to you. And you will say, "Yes. Of course. Tell me your favourite bits." •