Blame it on the boogie

In the years to come I'm sure my daughter will look at me as if I'm a dick on many more occasions.

It's just that she did it for the first time last week. That sort of disdainful, penetrating look of, 'Dad, why are you dancing like that? You are a complete tool.'

She'd only ever looked at me adoringly until then.

And even more disheartening was how the what-a-loser look turned quickly into the cold shoulder as she ignored my eagerness to dance along with her.

Yeah. Yeah. So I was boogieing down to the Wiggles - who I can't stand by the way, but hey, you humour the kids don't you? - doing the mash potato and the squiggly spaghetti.

But do I really deserve a venomous look from one so young? I stopped what I was doing smartly.

Just imagine the dark glare I'm going to get when Mia's older and I'm trying to impress her boyfriends with my Kings Of Leon records.

Or imagine the scorn when I drop her off right outside the Blue Light Disco, and then park up and read a book until it finishes to chaperone her home.

I guess dads should stick to what they do best - like throwing balls, being a human trampoline, and wrestling - and leave the kids stuff to the kids.

But I don't buy that, especially when it comes to dancing.

I love dancing, even if Mia thinks I look like I'm doing the chicken dance crossed with the Macarena.

This is the key though chaps: don't embarrass the kid(s). Because remember, a cool dad is one who's down with the kids.

Take some advice from Madonna and get into the groove... but make it a groove you're comfortable with.

At the moment, rather than attempting those twitty Wiggles routines, I'm sticking with the moonwalk. It's a dance move that's been back in vogue in our household since MJ died.

Even though my moonwalk is a soulless slide across the wooden floor boards - rather than a gravity defying dance move - I think I'm pretty cool in Mia's eyes when I do it. She cracks up with delight (for the time being anyway).

She also loves dancing around in my arms, and babbling along to 80s stuff like the Thompson Twins' Hold Me Now.

Last weekend her gentle shush-ing during the funereal intro to George Michael's Faith was gorgeous too. And when mum is out, and we are home alone, it's incredible how she potters and busies herself intently as noisy rock'n'roll pours forth like black mud from the speakers.

I've yet to try her out on Nirvana's Smells Like Teen Spirit, where leaping around the lounge is all you have to do.

Then again, it should be a hoot, because she's pretty good at doing that already.

- Scott Kara

Have you ever embarrassed your kids?

Pictured above: Mia loves my moonwalk but she wasn't so thrilled when I joined her in dancing to a Wiggles track. Photo / AP