If you ever find yourself throwing a bit of a strop when you have to get up for work again, because it’s so unfair, eating sweets for breakfast because you just can, or dancing around the house in your undercrackers, then it sounds like you’re suffering from ‘big kid’ syndrome.

But, don’t despair, you’re not alone! Barratt Sweets spoke to 2,000 people up and down the country and a whopping 81% of us (so-called) adults admit we don’t act our age, and prefer not to take life too seriously. Too right!  Download the survey results

So in the interests of making sure we get ‘acting like a kid’ really right, we chatted to kids-in-the- know about how to be a cool, young-at-heart parent, while avoiding the dreaded embarrassing dad or mum syndrome!

So break off from that boring grown up stuff you’re doing for a few minutes and take a look at the ultimate kids’ guide to being a cool parent. Being childish has never been so much fun…

DO

• -  Play silly characters. Every morning mum comes into our bedroom to wake us up like a weather girl from the TV and gives us a weather report. Me and my brother laugh our heads off! (Theo, aged 7)
• -  Dance to Jessie J songs and keep the rude bits in! (Joel, aged 9)
• -  Play crocodile island, where you jump from sofa to sofa without being caught by the crocodiles(Matilda, aged 5 and a half)
• -  Colour in with us on the floor (we’re not allowed to draw on the walls though. It’s messy) and eat mud pies and worm cakes with us! (Rosie, aged 4)
• -  Play on the Wii with us (Isaac, aged 7)
• -  Dance in the kitchen and use knives and spoons to make instruments for my X Factor band (Izzy,aged 9)
• -  Let us have sweets and chips when we’ve been good (Emily, aged 10)
• -  Join in at school in swimming galas and parents’ races on sports day (as long as you win) and camping trips (Finlay, aged 11)
• -  Trump in the supermarket and blame mummy (William, aged 7)