Can you remember those horrible days when you were a kid at home and it was your turn to wash the dishes? If you had brothers or sisters, inevitably you will have had to do this chore, especially the more mature amongst you. In fact, in the `good old days`, as people like to remember them, it was commonplace for the lads to have to do chores around the house whilst the girls looked after younger brothers or sisters. When they got older the only thing that changed was that it was grandchildren they were looking after!

When you were actually grown up yourself, you then dished out the jobs to your children whilst acting as the boss of your household. Yes, you now took all those awkward decisions that your dad used to take, like paying the bills, watching the finances and mundane things like insuring your mobile phone.

Nothing reinforces your status or credibility within the household like being shown to have been almost psychic when the unexpected happens.

This brings to mind the day one of my little darlings, being at that age called the ‘terrible twos’, decided to take what I said literally. I was having one of my rants about leaving plates and things in the lounge after using them and not tidying them away. I shouted that when they have finished using something, to put it in the dishwasher.

So, there we were, my wife and I, sitting watching the television. I decided to call one of my mates about the match at the weekend. I looked everywhere for my mobile. My little two year old daughter piped up, “I put it in the dishwasher just like you said, daddy”!

I wanted to shout at her, but after a momentary pause, we all burst into laughter. Then I suddenly thought I should check anyway. Low and behold, there was my mobile phone, steaming away at the drying stage, having gone through all the washing and rinsing cycles! “Oh my God”, I thought. Would it still work?

No, was the answer. Despite the circumstances of the damage, the insurance company dealt with my claim within hours and I got a new handset within 48 hours.

Never had I thought in my wildest dreams that insuring your mobile phone would instantly make you the cleverest, most foresighted dad around.