We are all mere Muggles afterall

What wicked parents we are.

Sam was keeping the faithful old gizmo (TV remote) close by tonight when the TV started to pause and unpause of its own accord. Dave started putting on his best Uri Geller, his hands on each temple, staring at the TV, willing it to go on and off with the power of his warped mind. The more he did it, the more wide eyed the kids became. Dave then announced - to what were the most transfixed kids in the whole of the greater Cairngorm area - that it was time they knew that we were in fact a family with superpowers that kick in when you turn 14. For a few moments the kids faces went blank. Sam surely thought he was heading to the Hogwart's School of Witchraft and Wizardry while Tess undoubtedly thought she was in the "Wizards of Waverly Place". But the truly weird thing was how they just calmly accepted this brand new information. Admittedly, their eyes were all a-twinkle as the possibilities started to form in their mind but before they started to realise how marvellous such a thing would be, we put them out of their misery by revealing I had been covertly pressing buttons on a brand new remote secreted under a cushion. Thankfully, they collapsed in laughter and don't hate us or want new parents. And for a few moments, they WERE superheroes.

I'm sure a lot of folk could have been doing with some super powers today. In my own irrelevant little bubble today it would have been about sounding the super villain klaxon when it comes to folk delivering hamfisted character insights, labelling and boxing in others, often contradicting themselves in the process. It's such a suffocating and limiting experience for the recipient, it disempowers them and keeps them down. Unless you are telling your kids they have superpowers. We've probably inflicted a lifetime of psychological damage in that wee prank alone. (Alternatively, im hoping we've gifted them with fantastic dreams tonight).

People skills are a fine art, you can never stop learning. I've yet to meet a master or mistress of such, other than self-professed ones who are of course, invariably not. But changing the TV with my mind is something I do regularly, usually by extension through my finger tip. In the end, A few witty asides from a keen observer, a tingly cold walk In the early evening and a daily family fix, has put my world to rights.