IF your children can make you cringe with their out-of-control behaviour, don't despair - harness that energy.

We have enjoyed the fruits of our pair's penchant for mania on a summer holiday and no longer think twice about unleashing their inner beast.

Faced with a long wait to check in at a Queensland resort by a rude receptionist - despite prearranged early check-in - we felt no guilt at letting the bored kids run free.

We sat quietly, waiting out the three hours we were told it would take for the room to be ready, while the monsters happily explored.

They tried every chair, pressed every button, rearranged every pile of leaflets and even bit the display fruit.

When they started playing chasings around the magnificent Christmas tree, making the entire tree wobble alarmingly, frantic conversations and furtive pointing could be seen taking place at reception.

Another staff member then rushed over to share the exciting news - there had been a dreadful mistake! The room was ready after all and we could leave the lobby immediately.

Score us! Wait time reduced by two hours and 45 minutes. Thanks kids.

HAVE YOUR SAY BELOW DO YOU AGREE WITH LETTING KIDS RUN WILD?

The life lesson here is if your kids are driving you nuts, they will drive others nuttier. Use it to your advantage.

Kids come in handy for getting on to planes first and restaurant service is always amazingly speedy.

We are generally offered prime veranda tables, such is the rush to keep us isolated from other patrons and avoid food splatters on the walls.

Hyperactive kids are also amazingly useful for scoring private hotel rooms far from the madding crowd and clearing hotel pools.

media_camera "The only good pool is an empty one ..."

My husband and I often take a lazy bet on how long it will take before we drive couples on romantic weekends out of communal pools.

The kids don't intend to upset fellow guests; it just seems their cries of "watch me do a handstand!", energetic flipper kicks that drench carefully preserved hairdos and thoughtless diving near ladies artfully roasting their spray tanned bodies isn't appreciated by anyone

but us.

Generally most people put up with us for about five minutes, just so they don't appear rude in their rush to escape.

Lucky for us, we do like a nice empty pool.

And we are gracious enough to hide our smirks as our fellow guests beat a hasty retreat.

So next time the kids are driving you batty in public, maybe cut them some slack. They could actually be working for your benefit.