Kai has been ill too. He catches a lot of colds, a bit like the Old Man. The worst one was just before Christmas which was basilisk glare lethal to our annual leave pool.
I remember listening to vitriolic attacks against childless couples, that they were "selfish", but I always thought that these attacks were misplaced. Couldn't we level the "selfish" accusation right back at parents? After all, a lot of people think a baby is just for Christmas and not for life, and don't think through where this is going to take them until they get there. But now I realise what's the actual basis of this hatred and disgust for the childless couple.
The new normal is putting off children to promote career: the average age for giving birth in the UK has risen from 27 to almost 30 in two decades. Couples still have children, even if they said they wouldn't want any, but they are making the decision increasingly late. The truth is birth rates are now the highest for 35 years. But people with youthful energy and time on their hands and are the ones who are shaping our society, and thus the childless couple is beginning to define us.
So what happens to this middle-aged generation who are having children? In time, they will find themselves blamed for bringing hardship upon themselves. Children? That's your problem.