Robin Williams once said “You have 2 types of dreams about your kids. In the first, you’re in the audience as they thank the Nobel Institute for awarding them this honour. In the second, you’re in the queue as they ask the person in front ‘Do you want fries with that?’”

Having 5 kids, I’m confident that I’m going to have an interesting time in the years to come.  What I hope for each of them, what I want for each of them is…

That they find a job they enjoy. And that they’re not working for me. With me would be fine but not for me. I’ve been lucky in that I’ve enjoyed more of the jobs I’ve done than not.

That they know at least 1 programming language. Even if they don’t work in IT, knowing why a program does what it does would be invaluable. Even if that reason is because the guy who wrote it got it wrong. It’s very geek of me, I know.

That they have kids of their own. Just not too soon. Part of this is because I’m looking forward to being a grandad and part is because I want them to know what sort of a wringer they’ve put their parents through. And I want to know that I’ve not done such a bad job at being a father that they’ll never have kids!

That they live a long way from me.  I get on far better with my parents now that they’re a good day’s travel away. I don’t want them to study in Shetland, get a job in Shetland, never leave until they need to be seen in the hospital in Aberdeen. This happens. I want my kids scattered far and wide across the globe. The youngest has already travelled more than I ever had before I met my wife, so I’m hopeful.

That they have a childhood they want to recreate with their kids. Places to visit, things to do, the fun – and the hassle – of everything we do as a family. I want them to remember it all. The chaos of huge family dinners, the thrill of seeing a show in London, the playparks, climbing trees, all of it.

That they find someone they love and don’t let them go. 15th wedding anniversary next year, 25 years since we met. Thank you, my love.

So now you’ve read this, you need to follow the linky back to the Listography and read what greater minds than mine had to say on this subject.