Esther McCarthy: You only get 18 summers with your kids — cherish them

"I’m letting myself have a little nostalgic wallow when it dawns on me. Never mind them, how many summers do mam and dad have left?"

Esther McCarthy. Picture: Emily Quinn

You only get 18 summers with your kids, you know.

I scoffed when I first heard this. We were on a beach on our holidays in Lanzarote and our little boys were nine, six, and three. They were playing away in the sand together, and an older woman nodded over at them, and leaned into me.