EVER since our eldest was a toddler, Thomas The Tank Engine has played a big part in our lives.

He has been nothing short of a hero to our three boys - not to mention a big help to me. Many is the time I've relied on one of his videos to get me a bit of peace and quiet when they've woken at some unnatural hour.

As a three-year-old, the one we now call The Big Friendly Giant, because he's two inches taller than me, would hardly let go of his Thomas duvet and pillowcase.

And over the years they've been dutifully passed down to his two younger brothers - missing out their sister who was more of a Barbie girl.

Max, the last in the line of Thomas fans in our house, loved the little blue engine with a passion, although he had pronunciation problems in the very early days to the extent that it always came out as "Tosser The Tank Engine".

Understandably, this caused one or two heads to turn whenever we passed a toy shop.

"Look, look! Tosser!" he used to shout.

And then there was the unforgettable time, when he was two, and he somehow got "Mr Todgy" trapped in his Thomas train set.

With his little Percy bleeding alarmingly and my heart pumping like a piston, I had to rush him to hospital, and I'll never forget the look on the receptionist's face as I tried to explain what had happened.

"He's done what?" she asked, as the occupants of the waiting room looked up from their magazines.

"He's got his todgy - you know, penis - trapped in his Thomas The Tank Engine train set," I repeated.

"Oh," she said and rushed us in to see the doctor who admitted it was a first in his career.

Even that painful episode didn't put the little 'un off Thomas. He still snuggled lovingly into his hand-me-down Thomas duvet set at night and we still went on regular walks to a nearby railway bridge in the vain hope of seeing Thomas go by.

Once, he started shouting "Tosser! Tosser!" just as a man, out for a walk with his dog, passed by. I tried to explain but it didn't sound at all convincing.

But Max is nine now, time moves on, and Thomas has suddenly disappeared from our lives.

When Mum was tidying the little 'un's bedroom at the weekend, she found his Thomas duvet cover and pillow case discarded on the floor.

"Why are your Thomas things on the floor?" she asked him.

"Dunno," he said, shrugging his shoulders, dismissively.

"Don't you want Thomas bedding anymore?"

And with a shake of the head, he signalled the end of the line for our adventures with Thomas The Tank Engine. He's just too grown up.

By that afternoon, the duvet cover and pillow case had been washed and folded into a carrier bag to be passed on to friends who have a Thomas-mad three-year-old called Oliver.

It's funny how the wheels turn full circle... The Big Friendly Giant happened to be baby-sitting there just the other night, no doubt sitting on the edge of his old duvet cover while he read Oliver a bedtime story.

Bye Thomas - and thanks for everything.

THE THINGS THEY WRITE

As kids wait anxiously for their exam results, here a few more real-life answers from schools in County Durham...

Q: What are steroids?

A: Things for keeping carpets still on the stairs.

Q: What is the most common form of birth control?

A: Most people prevent contraception by wearing a condominium.

Q: What is a fibula?

A: A small lie.

Q: How are the main parts of the body categorised (eg abdomen).

A: The body is consisted into three parts - the brainium, the borax, and the abdominal cavity. The brainium contains the brain, the borax contains the heart and lungs, and the abdominal cavity contains the five bowels, A, E, I, O and U.

* Listen to Peter Barron reading some of his favourite columns from the Dad At Large collection by visiting www.thenorthernecho.co.uk and clicking on the audio/video button.