Once a year we have what can only be described as a day from someone else’s life. Little Madam and Tiny Flirt attend the same school in a glorious valley in the wilds of North Yorkshire, and we are cordially invited for a day. Little Nutter has already gone gleefully to respite, leaving us as a completely neurotypical family.

We wandered from the castle to the beautiful valley fields with stunning views of the abbey and fields beyond it for sports day. Little Madam did herself proud for her house. Lots of very determined running and jumping and a raft of second places for 800 metres, long jump, 150 metres and even throwing the rounders ball a startling distance. We’re just so proud of her. After the total mess that the state school made of her life when we moved cities, she’s growing back into a confident, bright, sporty young lady with a very appropriate wicked twinkle in her eye.

Tiny Flirt is far more chilled about the whole thing. His winning of the five-year-olds skipping race was greeted with a huge beam and a “Please can I have a sticker?” We do have to work on his sportsmanship though. When he passed the baton on for his part of the relay race, he turned to the little girl in the team beside him and did a “Ner, ner ner. We beat you!”

The thing that always strikes me is just how wonderful and easy parenting is. The children are so happy and so easy to look after and encourage. We had lunch on the lawns and wandered down to watch Tiny Flirt in concert this afternoon. Little Madam’s concert is tonight. They love this day because for once it’s about them, not about Autism or smearing or being thumped in the eye. We love it, because it’s a chance to be really proud of them both. They’re good kids and I’m so glad they’re mine.