Do we all end up doing the things we saw older generations doing?

You don’t start off clasping your hands behind your back but suddenly there it is, says Colm O’Regan.

It comes full circle doesn’t it? The things you saw older generations doing and briefly wondered why. But as surely as a new butterfly unfurls itself and wipes the sticky caterpillar-sleep off its wings, you’ll do it yourself one day. Recently I found myself walking, with my hands clasped behind my back. As if I were a presenter on a summer-filmed TV show, walking down a tree-lined avenue, having the history of Fitherington Castle explained to me by an enthusiastic historian with wild hair. “And it was the third earl who was the most scandalous” he says, breathlessly narrating some tale of what we would now call domestic violence.

You don’t start off clasping your hands behind your back but suddenly there it is. My own theory is that fatherhood has something to do with it. Now that we’re walking (and using the first person plural to describe a singular baby’s activities), there is a lot more standing around in the park, resisting the temptation to roar at her to keep it simple and protect the ball. And hands clasped behind back give the fastest option to react to any dangers from dog turds or wildlife.