Bill Linnane: I took my reckless parenting too far, and my wife’s not happy about it

It’s no harm to encourage adventure in kids. Photo: Getty

Bill Linnane

In November 2002, Michael Jackson was staying in a hotel in Berlin with his family ahead of an awards show. As fans gathered outside, he went out onto the balcony of his third floor suite with his then nine-month-old son, Prince Michael II. For reasons best known to himself, Jackson decided to give the fans below a better look at the baby by dangling it over the railing of the balcony, just for a brief moment. Much recrimination followed, with Jackson explaining that he got caught up in the excitement of the occasion, explaining, “I would never intentionally endanger the lives of my children.”

I would like to also row in with this sentiment, and to state categorically that I would never intentionally endanger my children. But it has been brought to my attention of late that despite my best intentions, I have routinely unintentionally endangered my children: bringing them to the top of Norman keeps and encouraging them to have a look over the railing-free parapet; taking photos of them with their legs dangling over various cliffs along the Wild Atlantic Way; encouraging them to take their BMX down the steepest hill in the area, or, more recently, allowing our nine-year-old and his pal to go out on a paddle boat on their own.