As a young (and incredibly well-behaved) child, both of my parents worked during the daytime. During school term, this was fine. My Dad was around in the mornings to see my brother and I off. My Mum would be home from work by the time we finished our school day. It was during school holidays that we would be trusted to stay at home on our own. We didn't really break that trust. At least, not until we became teenagers.

Initially our time at home would be punctuated by regular visits from older cousins. They would watch us closely to ensure that we weren’t setting fire to the furniture, or to each other.