Last week, my youngest son’s teacher came over to me in the playground after school, and discreetly handed me this pair of shoes.

Yes, those are gaping holes in the front, with the soles flapping beneath.

My son is fast approaching five years old, and growing at an alarming rate, but even I was not prepared for the state of his shoes. They look like they belong to a street urchin. I had no idea that he had scuffed them so much. I mean, he only wears them for PE.

So we came home, and found another pair of shoes in the closet for him to take to school; this time Star Wars ones that light up when he walks. We’ll see how long they last…