How many parents have experienced the sudden onset of anxiety that seems to kick in when confronted by a wailing, traumatised child who has just broken something immeasurably precious to them?

At our house, I am commonly referred to as "Mummy Fix-it". Yes, whenever that sparkly, plastic hairclip or a "Polly Pocket" outfit is damaged, torn or just outright broken, it appears magically before me for my immediate attention.

I've forgotten the first time it happened in the haze of time, but I've now perfected my response. Sure, the kids still get a bit upset, but there is none of the frightening "Oh My God" stuff happening over the broken toy. And I owe it all to Mum's Hospital!

Those parents wanting to reduce stress whilst their children grow through those sensitive, formative years between 1 and 10, take note. Set up your own hospital, create procedures for admittance of broken or injured toys, and above all, make sure the kids know the process and likely outcome prior to undertaking any surgery.

At my house, we have a special bowl that sits in the kitchen on the bench. Of course, if it is an urgent fix job, I immediately assess the damage, identify the tools or operation necessary, advise the owner (in this case, the kids) of the likely prognosis and how long to expect the recovery to take.

I always have some superglue handy (and nail polish remover for the inevitably "fingers stuck to the broken item" incidents), some tweezers, the smallest Phillips head screwdriver available, a container of eyes, a needle, thread, and an assortment of AAAA and calculator batteries (useful for when those talking books lose their voice).

Our most recent casualties were a glass humming-bird, (which had been given to our eldest daughter by Santa Claus and the Elves a few Christmas's ago), a pretty blue Polly Pocket blouse (damn tricky things which are small and made of plastic), and a large sparkly pink hair clip. The only one not to make it was the hair clip - it was too brittle to be able to make it useful again. This of course, led to tears, but luckily for me, the same hair clips were available at our local shops for the magnificent price of 5 for $1.

I guess the most important lesson that a parent can learn from operating a mini hospital is that, whilst not everything can be saved, your kids will really appreciate and respect you for trying. As kids get older, they need to feel that they have some control over what is happening in their lives. Before long, you might actually find your progeny experimenting with fixing things for the younger ones and observe them taking a more pragmatic look at material objects.

It's a lot of fun being the "go-to" guy or gal in the household when there's an emergency opportunity to be had. You can play it as "serious" as you want to with the kids - all you need to do is get yourself a mirror and just watch an episode of ER or All Saints to perfect your expressions!