Jennifer Horgan: Are there other playless parents out there feeling as guilty as me?

Am I odd for hating board games that never end, or having no desire to kick a ball about with my children?

Now that my children are older — my youngest nine, my eldest fourteen — I find myself frozen against play of any kind or description. Something in me has gone on strike. The mere mention of cards, or — God forbid — a board game, has me in a cold sweat.

The work of parenting has never been a problem for me. It’s the play I can’t stand.

It’s at its worst when we’re on holidays. My husband fills the gap — takes the children to the beach or wherever. They’ll play football on the sand, build giant castles and jump in the waves. All that memorable golden stuff of childhood.