My daughter's understanding of divorce was a massive relief

When my daughter was younger, she had a particularly interesting way of getting her father to satisfy her sweet tooth.

Demands for icecream were often followed with the threat of divorce if he didn't comply.

And no, she wasn't one of those adorable little girls who assumed she was also married to Daddy; she knew her role in the family.

Mummy was married to Daddy, but if Daddy didn't get Rebecca an icecream cone (or box of chocolates when she was feeling particularly peckish) then Mummy would be forced to divorce Daddy.

In my daughter's mind, all she would have to do was say the word and I'd be signing on the dotted line and terminating my marriage to her father.

In my daughter's mind, any potential slip-up could be prevented if she threatend her father with the life of a middle-aged divorcee.

In my daughter's mind, her dad's forgetful nature could be easily remedied by reminding him a life of solitude awaited should he forget to return home with a family-sized chocolate bar or six-pack of icepops.

There is no divorce in either of our families, so we're not quite sure where she picked up the term as a three-year-old, but she wielded it with wild abandon.

“Becky, honey, you can't have another-” he would start.

“DIVORCE!”she would shriek.

“Rebecca, calm-” I would interject.

“DIVORCE FOR YOU TOO!” she'd wail.

We soon realised she didn't actually understand what a divorce was, but was aware it was something most adults hoped to avoid.

Upon learning that my daughter wasn't quite as manipulative as she appeared was somewhat of a relief.

The thought of her playing her parents off against one another in order to get what she wanted was a little jarring, but thankfully her understanding of 'divorce' was similar to that of a 'grounding' or a prolonged period on 'the naughty step'.

The day I heard her telling our 57-year-old neighbour “he would get a divorce” if he didn't make daisy chains with her was all the evidence I needed that my little girl, while precocious and demanding, was simply in need of a dictionary.

Thank God.