A man called Bob Higginson made headlines recently by banning children under 12 from his coffee shop in Devon. The shop is painstakingly done up like an ocean liner. Mr Higginson was a head waiter on the QE2 and his cafe is clearly a labour of love. He has two offspring of his own, now 24 and 21, and says he loves children, but there are lots of other places in Torbay where they can go. Dogs, on the other hand, are welcome.

Do you know, I completely agree with him. I’m quite surprised at myself. But when you’ve been a parent for aeons — my older two are also 24 and 21 — you realise your youthful outrage at the idea of child-free places