Who's The Daddy: Parenting is a job for life even when they grow up

And today she’s 23. Wow. Just wow. The secret to parenting, whatever your kid’s age, is turning up and being there. That’s it really, that’s your job description. There’s a few bells and whistles but essentially so long as you’re on call 24 hours a day, 365 days a year for the rest of your life you’ll do OK in your next performance review.Trouble is, I’m sure I was there for all of it, every parents’ evening, every school play, every 2am “can you come and pick me up?” and every house move, but the last 23 years has literally vanished.We’re lucky in lots of ways, we got two kids through the school system pretty much unscathed and into adulthood - which is no mean feat.The boss was always determined to raise strong and independent young women and that’s what we’ve done - so independent in fact that we only see them when they either want something or a meet-up is mutually beneficial (generally lunch, paid for by us, after we’ve driven to their houses in Salford or Liverpool).We saw them both, briefly, last weekend when daughter #1 landed for a stopover on the way to her boyfriend’s, lured like a Bisto kid by the golden waft of a freshly cooked chicken korma for dinner.And here’s why one day she’ll either run the country or own large swathes of it - paid for in cash.

We were short on turmeric, a vital ingredient for a korma, I was up to my eyes in it at work and asked her if she’d stop off and get some on the way. Instead, she brought half a jar of it from home.

Like they say, it’s not what you earn it’s what you keep, and then invest for your entire working life.

And by the wonders of compound interest, my child, you’ll be rich.Daughter #2 found some time in her busy student schedule in Liverpool last Sunday to be taken out for something nice to eat before spending the afternoon at her regular paid gig, teaching children how to act - like she does most Sundays.When your kids fly the nest they act like a mortgage lender, in that you’ll generally only hear from them if something goes wrong.

Like, if they’re a student and their money’s late.