EUAN McCOLM - The question that makes every father's blood run cold: Dad, can you keep a secret from mum?

EUAN McCOLM - The question that makes every father's blood run cold: Dad, can you keep a secret from mum? Click here to visit the Scotland home page for the latest news and sport By Euan Mccolm For The Scottish Daily Mail Published: 18:35, 7 August 2024 | Updated: 18:44, 7 August 2024 e-mail View comments I’m thousands of miles and several hours from home with a group of friends when the phone rings. It’s the girl, calling to ask how I’m doing. My heart lifts.

We chat about our days then, just as I’m about to return to my party, the real reason for this lovely interlude becomes clear. ‘Dad?’ she says, that single syllable elongating as its rises in pitch. ‘Can I get my belly button pierced?’ I’m no novice at this game.

I keep my cool and return her serve with a classic. I ask what her mum says? But the girl – 16 now, and no slouch at this dance – is ready. ‘She says to see what you think.

’ Piercing question about keeping a secret that makes every father's blood run cold. Picture posed by model I should have seen that one coming, I admit, but it catches me off guard. Is my view on this matter actually important? Might it influence her decision? I suggest she and her brother come over on the day I return to Scotland, when we can discuss it further, then rejoin my friends at the dinner table.

I’ve been expecting the belly button question for some time. As soon as her mother and I agreed to ear piercings on her 13th birthday, she began agitating for a .