Things were different when I was little. No social media - at all. Gossip was usually kept away from kids and family secrets were whispered in dark corners away from little ears.
And still shite got out and followed bairns into the playground and straight into little heads.
Amd that, my friends, is where it stays.
And for some in my playground it never went away. Until they went away. In different ways.
The damage it does is incredible.
Sins of the fathers indeed.
And for one (well both) who is so haunted about the shite surrounding his parents and the press and the effect it has had?
If I was a parent in this position, I’d be cutting my bastard tongue out before I hurt my children and the children of others.
Because however happy you try to make home life, that will drift over the web and into the playground and into little heads.
And that, my friends, is where it will stay.
All I’ve got in my head are the lyrics to Breaking The Habit by Linkin Park.
Over and over.
And over.