Jonesy with wife Helen and children Dominic, Romany and Morgan
This time of year can be a prickly time in the Jones household as the local school’s art and craft fair is approaching.
Let me explain.
Because we have such an age gap between our children, I feel like I’ve been going there forever. I’ve seriously had some sort of Highlander* relationship with that school.
Our children are spaced out (that’s in age, not on dope… I think), so I’ve been involved with the school for some 17 years.
My eldest Morgan, now 21, went there. My second, Romany, 16, went there and now my youngest, Dominic,10, goes there. It’s not even our local school anymore – we moved out of the area four years ago, but thanks to Mr 10, still the art and craft fair prevails. The kids haven’t even entered anything in the actual fair in years – it’s just not something that they’re into. But because my wife volunteers in the book stall each year, apparently I’m supposed to also do something, which is why it bugs the hell out of her that I want nothing to do with it.
Don’t get me wrong, I like being involved. School sports carnivals are always fun, and it’s not that I haven’t had anything to do with the fair in the past – I’ve been there to man the barbie and I MC’d a few auctions (which may or may not have been a career highlight). Some of the other fundraising and awards nights can be a little, well, arduous. With each child, they seem to be getting longer and longer, with speech upon speech.