Superdad Will Lodge enjoys the school holidays – even if he is still working.

So half-term has been upon us this week and what a whirlwind it has been.

A holiday for the children – even toddler, who is not at school but goes to a childminder during term-time – and my wife, who works in schools.

I have been fortunate enough to take a few days off myself to spend some quality time with the kids.

And quality time it is.

Not squeezed in around the school day, homework, and essential down time, it means conversations can last much longer than just at the dinner table.

These conversations are also far more refreshing.

I would love to hear what my children do at school each day, but getting information out of them on this is like blood from a stone.

“What did you do at school today?”

“Maths, literacy, PE.”

So, the same things as every day then – any more details is extremely hard to come by. At a push you might get who played what with who at lunchtime.

But in half-term details are provided in full technicolour, with a bit of gentle prodding.

Supermum took the children to Great Notley Discovery Park – which is highly recommended – one day in the holidays while I was working.

When questioned by me over dinner I initially thought I would have to rely on my wife to tell me what happened.

But after establishing the best bit of the day was in fact the hot chocolate and Doritos at the cafe (I mean, why do we take them out when we could provide such excitement at home), I was able to tease out which play kit was the best and why. I was beholden with tales of flying children and going faster than they have ever gone before on “the spinny thing”.

We’ve also been able to settle down a couple of times and play board games – even convincing our usually most reluctant child to join in – together as a family, which is truly a magical moment.

I must admit this was not without misgivings. Monopoly can be tricky to explain and play with youngsters, but with some careful steerage from the bank – manned alternately by Mummy and Daddy – even our slightly poorly six-year-old was able to give it his full attention for a good two hours.

That’s probably longer than I would manage.

While sometimes you hear parents bemoaning the holidays – having the kids around ALL THE TIME and “What do you do with them?” – I cherish the time they are around.

Even when I am working, just hearing them playing brings a smile to my face.

Though maybe short sharp one-week stints are the way forward. The summer holidays may require a bit more planning.