Bernard O'Shea — The Dad Bod Diaries: My five-step guide to taking yourself less seriously

Rethinking the dad bod jokes, I’m starting to see that always looking on the light side of life might be the only way forward

'The dad bod jokes, the belly, the running commentary on my own slow physical decline — it's not just material. It's a pre-emptive strike.' Picture: iStock

I was standing in the green room after The Late Late Show last week, jacket still on, and my mum texted me: “You’re very hard on yourself.” She meant it kindly.

I texted back something deflecting and funny, because that’s what I do, and we both laughed, and I thought about it the whole way home.