The Daily Mail recently reported on Mollie Price, a 6 year old who has supposedly just opened her third confectionery shop in the Welsh market town of Welshpool. Each one is appropriately called, Mollies. As a result, she has been declared one of the youngest entrepreneurs in Britain.

Now I hope I’m not bursting anyone’s bubble when I say that I don’t care how bright a 6 year old is – they can’t open and run one proper shop – let alone three. But as a vehicle for getting some free publicity, they take some beating. Mollies mum or dad obviously realised that a 6 year old with a shop is more interesting than a 36 year old with a shop.

So could you ‘use’ your kids in this way? Don’t feel guilty, they’ll cost you a fortune over their lifetime, so why not get some of it back in advance!