I'd like to erect a shrine to disappointment. A mate I met knocking around writers' rooms in my 20s recently said, ''Dev, gag-writing's a young man's game. By our age the disappointment has set in.'' I disagreed. But I got it - the disappointment setting in.

I was about 10 years old when I realised my parents weren't perfect. What was most startling was the assumption embedded in the revelation, that I'd assumed they were.

I believe there is a lid for every jar. Credit:Natalie Boog

From as soon as my little boys were old enough to talk I drilled them: ''You don't expect me to be perfect and I won't expect you to be. Deal?'' It worked. On the weekend I said: ''Ice creams on me! Who's the best mum in the world?'' The six-year-old enthusiastically replied: ''Angelina Jolie!''

Growing up, everyone believes they'll end up with the perfect family, the perfect parents, the perfect partner, the perfect life, home, kids, job, looks, body and friends. But bit by bit, if you're lucky, disappointment sets in.