It’s natural, at least I hope it is, to dislike our children from time to time. As one doting father of four quipped the other day, “What I’d like for Father’s Day this year is some peace and quiet.” Forget the socks and jocks, just get rid of the kids for a while.

My major gripe right now involves the word “no”, specifically, my 10 year old’s inability to grasp its meaning. No is not code for “maybe” or “if you ask me another 27 times, I will say yes”. You’d think after a decade on the planet, he’d have cottoned on.

It riles me also when simple requests (finish your dinner, hang up your uniform, flush the toilet, and take those filthy, stinking football boots outside) are met with a perfunctory “yes, Mum”, then nothing happens.

We could go on and on about the annoying habits of our children, yet the bottom line is that we adore them with all our hearts and couldn’t imagine life without them.

A story like Billy Muller’s (Feature, P12) touches us profoundly. For all our complaining and ranting over unfinished homework and unmade beds, all we really want, as parents, is for our children to be healthy and to enjoy life to the full.

Billy’s mum Bronwyn, a newly single parent, has already endured so much, yet her resilience, her generosity of spirit and her gratitude for every new day she gets to spend with her boy are inspiring and humbling.

Billy and Bronwyn never imagined they’d be making headlines. But their commitment to helping other children with brain or spinal tumours has motivated them to open their hearts and share their very poignant, very beautiful story with us.

We parents with healthy children are truly blessed, and I’m personally grateful to Billy and his mum for driving that message home.

Our little people are so precious – they are a gift to us, for how ever long we are able to enjoy them.