'Hood' is not the plural of 'hide' as in 'He hood in the closet'. In any case, if it is the closet of some of the people I have worked for, there are too many skeletons in there already to hide anything, even a fear of the dark or 'nyctophobia'. In fact, some of them would have done better to come out of the closet themselves. There are other 'hoods' like the bonnet of a car, the cowl or covering attached to a robe or jacket, and it is also short for 'hoodlum' or thug.

There was an English poet named Thomas Hood who was good both as a poet and a humorist but not the right hood. However, Thomas the poet, is part of the inspiration for the 'hood' that preoccupies my attention. He wrote in the poem I Remember, I Remember:

I remember, I remember

The fir trees dark and high;

I used to think their slender tops

Were close against the sky:

It was childish ignorance,

But now 'tis little joy

To know I'm farther off from

heaven

Than when I was a boy.

As I pass my 63rd year and approach my 64th, there are a lot of things that I remember and more that I contemplate. How far I am from Heaven is not as important to me as how close I am to my children, all four of them, the two adult ones, George and Marsha, and the two little ones (in my eyes only), Jasmine 11 and Zubin 10. This leads to the 'hood' that preoccupies me as it did Bill Cosby, the comedian, in Fatherhood.

beautifully, irrational act

Cosby said, "Having a child is surely the most beautifully irrational act that two people in love can commit." What do you say of someone who was irrational enough to do it four times? To make one child may be regarded as irrational, to make two may be viewed as impetuous, to make three may be considered irresponsible (and for which you would be jailed in China), but to make four is sheer insanity. As Cosby said, "The arrival of a baby coincides with the departure of our minds."

He adds, "I guess the real reason that my wife and I had children is the same reason that Napoleon had for invading Russia: it seemed like a good idea at the time."

If I have learnt any lesson in life it is that the problems associated with children increase in direct proportion to the age of the children. Also, in the same way that there is nothing like 'minor' surgery, there are no 'minor' problems associated with children. All problems have the same magnitude and eventually lead to weeping, the tearing out of hair and the gnashing of teeth.

There are several issues concerning fatherhood that should be deterrents, or at least checks and balances. Obviously, one is money. Bill Cosby's take on it is, "Except for the cost of the child, which may lead you to consider joining orga-nised crime, fathering is easier today than it was when I began." Mine is that from the time I began to beget, in the biblical sense, every genesis has brought new revelations. The cost continues to increase in direct proportion to the growth of the said child.

Money is one issue. The other is convincing them they should get along with one another. If Sibling Rivalry was a rock band, it would set records for being at the top of the Billboard charts. I could wax forever on this topic alone.

love for my children

With all that, I would not exchange them for the world - the universe perhaps, but even that might not be as infinite as my love for my children. Sometimes, as I walk with the two young ones and people look at the huge gap in ages and say to me, "Your grandchildren are really growing well", I reply, "Yes, they are indeed grandchildren, very, very grand."

It is true, and I have to constantly face the fact, that I have to be both father and grandfather to them, but even that has its joys. They keep me young at heart and youthful in mind and spirit, if not in body. I leave the last word on this to Cosby, "Even though your kids will consistently do the exact opposite of what you're telling them to do, you have to keep loving them just as much."

Tony Deyal was last seen agreeing with Bill Cosby, "No matter how calmly you try to referee, parenting will eventually produce bizarre behaviour, and I'm not talking about the kids. Their behaviour is always normal."