Have you ever really sat down and thought at what age you start becoming a cynic in life? When the glass remains half empty, the shades of grey in the world are more black than white and being happy for no great reason is a shock to the system?

This weekend got me thinking. After 24 hours spent in loco parentis to my adorable nephew, aged two, I started wondering when and more importantly why life got so complicated.

I know I’m not alone in looking at a child and sighing as I claim that life is so simple for them; as if jealous of their naivety to the complexities of the world around them. But perhaps they are the clever ones.

As I played throw and catch for the fifth time in five minutes on Sunday it made me smile. The pleasure he got from seeing me yelp in excitement as I caught the ball or when he missed the ball and we made it part of the game was touching.

And then he hurt himself, as children do. He bashed his head, knee, finger... the list goes on. Except unlike us feeble adults who let the world know of our ailments, knocks, scrapes and cuts while popping paracetamols, he just asked me for a kiss. Of course, a kiss makes it all better. Well why not eh?

I don’t think we should knock the innocence of a child as something cute which will pass and never return as I actually think we could all learn a thing or two from the younger generation.

Which was why Big Brother infuriated me this weekend. In simple terms, Jade — beauty queen, child genius and happy-go-lucky teen — was booted out. And why? There is no doubt in my mind (and because the housemates who nominated her said so) that she was put up for eviction because she was too happy.

Damn the girl who wants to jump around to music at 8am, who grins like a cheshire cat and claims with all the honesty in the world that she is just always happy.

Of her we should be suspicious, annoyed and frustrated. For no one can be happy all the time, can they?

I’m sorry but if this weekend has taught me anything it’s that we are quite a depressed and depressing nation. There’s nothing wrong with being a happy person, it should be applauded. There’s nothing wrong with getting immense pleasure from childish games. And there’s nothing wrong with believing a kiss can solve a million problems.

So for the next child that walks into your life, or indeed the next Jade, don’t knock ‘em, join ‘em. Then maybe the world will be a happier place.

(Are you cringing/ sighing/ dismissing what I say? You miserable so and so.)