Face paints and family fun....

Apparently, according to my five-year-old daughter, it’s not a party without face paints. And who am I to argue with such solid logic?

Yesterday, we kept things simple at home to celebrate my 45th birthday. Just close family, cake on the table, laughter in the air, and the comforting chaos that only a house full of loved ones can bring. But before the makeshift living room disco fired up — and crucially after the cake had been properly dealt with — the real main event took place.

The face paints came out.

This is my daughter’s latest obsession. A newly discovered love for face painting, approached with the seriousness and confidence of a seasoned professional. No hesitation. No second-guessing. Just bold colours, creative freedom, and an artist completely unfazed by the fact that her canvas was her own parents.

We were instructed to sit still. Very still. There was no consultation phase, no reference images, and absolutely no explanation of the vision. Just the occasional hum, a bit of intense concentration, and the gentle pressure of a paintbrush being applied in ways that felt… ambitious.

When she finally stepped back to admire her work, the reveal was instant laughter. The kind you don’t see coming. The kind that catches in your chest and spills out before you can stop it. My wife and I looked at each other and completely lost it.

She had done an amazing job. Not in a neat, Instagram-perfect way — but in that wonderfully unfiltered, wildly imaginative way that only a five-year-old can manage. Full commitment. Zero restraint. Maximum creativity.

What made it even better was the absolute pride on her face. This wasn’t random scribbling. This was art. Intentional. Meaningful. Apparently.

So now I’ll throw it out to you, dear reader. Without any clues, no spoilers, and no helpful hints — can you work out what she painted us as?

One thing’s for sure: the disco that followed had two parents dancing around the living room with painted faces, sore cheeks from laughing, and the strong suspicion that we’d just witnessed the start of a future face-painting business… or at the very least, a lifelong love of creativity.

And honestly? I wouldn’t have wanted to celebrate turning 45 any other way.