He’s even got pieces of mushy cookie in his bangs. Dave’s standing in front of the stove, stirring something in a frying pan. His headphones are clamped over his ears, and he’s swaying his shoulders and singing along to an old Beatles song. I sit down at the kitchen table and wait for him to notice me. His singing gets louder and louder as the chorus kicks in. He belts the lyrics of “Let It Be” out in his strong, mellow voice. He used to be in a band — the Colts — and he loves music. He wrote all the band’s songs, before he met Mum and had the babies. Now the only songs he composes are for toddlers. He’s spent the last few months perfecting a show for tiny tots featuring Dinoduck — a character he’s created that is half dinosaur, half duck. Dave’s convinced that he’s going to be the next big thing in toddler rock. Mum thinks he’s delusional, but I’m not so sure. Alex and Evie adore the Dinoduck songs — “Red, Yellow, Green, Let’s All Scream” and “One, Two, Tie My Shoe”— which all have an educational theme.
