My 4 year old daughter quite often erupts for unfathomable reasons: we’ve dished up on the wrong coloured plate, her milk isn’t warm enough or is too late. Sometimes she ruins the whole day, sometimes she’s hilarious with it. Mum and Dad differ however in our choice of tantrum-easing techniques…

Take last night. An All Out Level 10 Screecher was ended within 5 minutes by moi, Dad the Peacemaker.

“How did you get her to calm down?” asked Mum.

“She pulled my finger.”

[Long sigh]

“You farted?”

“Yep. A really loud one too,” said me, proudly “and it worked. End. Justifies. Means. End of.”

“It’s really not in the parenting manual though is it?   Supernanny doesn’t advocate that.”

“She soon will, she soon will.”

Dad pours G&T, smugly.