As parents working from home over the summer holidays, it has been a challenge to keep kids off devices and from in front of television screens.

As children growing up, our memories are of being outside and roaming the neighbourhood streets playing until it was too dark to see any more.

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At that point, you'd somewhat reluctantly drag yourself home and into bed to do it all again the next day.

This generation is much different, our at least our two are. They're drawn to their screens, not the great outdoors. So family walks have become a thing. They have been less than gleefully received.

While my eldest used to be her dad's shadow, the teenage years seem to have thwarted that and now her Insta account is her constant companion.

The youngest has always been mum's girl but the COVID-riddled summer holidays have provided her dad with an opportunity to break that pattern and get her off the couch and away from Disney+ and Netflix.

Of an early evening, as often as possible, together we've made our way to the local pool for a swim to wash away a day of stress, in my case, and couchitis in her case.

She's a good swimmer and a creative soul and so at her request we've been working a pool routine together each day which she loves.

The routine is sort of a poor man's synchronised swimming performance of flips, turns, lifts and at the end we've been working on the finale where she stands bolt upright on her dad's shoulders (before we get growled at by the grumpy lifesaver on duty).

Her wish is to get it to a point we can perform it for her mother and her sister. It's a little thing and it makes her dad look quite ridiculous, but she loves it. Pride is swallowed, there are bigger things at stake.

Each day she's been getting better. At first she couldn't stand for a second on her dad's shoulders, but now, after plenty of practice, she could probably stand there for an hour.

Hopefully this little performance will become a bigger metaphor for her life and she will understand that her dad is always there to support her and while I'm about, there will always be a soft landing.

See, COVID ain't all bad.

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