My mother nearly had a king size fit when I told her we'd be back tomorrow, as my little brother and I had decided to go camping during the school holidays.

'We're only going down to the creek,' I protested, feeling that we were being treated very unfairly.  After all, I was twelve and Dave was 10, and it seemed like life was a constant barrage of 'You're old enough to know better!',  yet I was never old enough to actually do anything interesting.

'You're too young to be out all night on your own.  What will you do if a dingo comes around?  Or a crocodile?  No, wait until the holidays, then your Dad can take you camping properly.'

'But Mum, Jerry is bringing his tent, and it fastens up the front and all, so not even a wagyl can get in.  There'll be three of us, and Jerry's dad's hunting knife will protect us.'

Mum never said a word, but her lips moved, framing a word that we use all the time in the school playground, but know better than to use at home.  Dad's belt hurts.

'Aw, go on Mum, all the other kids go camping.  They call me a Mummy's little darling cos I can't go.'

Dave jumped up and down beside me.  'Aw, go on Mum!' he echoed excitedly.  'It'll be fun, and we'll be OK.'

'You'll be OK, 'cos you'll be sleeping in your own beds,' said Mum with a grim look on her face.

I knew we were beaten, but I had another ace up my snotty sleeve.  I grabbed Dave's arm and we stomped out of the kitchen, grabbing a cookie each from the cooling tray as we passed.

'Now what?' asked Dave.

'We'll meet Dad at the bus stop, and ask him.'

'What if he says no as well?'

'We just have to ask him the right way,' I answered, sounding more confident than I felt.  'Jut let me think.

'Let's go down to the creek while you think, and we can throw stones at the old goanna,' suggested Dave.

'No, we don't want to miss him.  If Mum gets to him first, well never go camping.  We might even end up grounded for ever!'

'There aren't any wagyls down at the creek are there?' asked Dave.

'No, I just said that 'cos there aren't any gorillas around here.'

We picked a spot near the bus stop and sat in the dust, and killed every ant that we saw.  The sun was very hot on our heads when finally a huge cloud of dust told us that the bus was coming up the track, and by then I had my plan worked out.

Dad wasn't too surprised to see us waiting for him, as we often did that, more to get away from Mum than anything.

'Jack, Dave, what mischief have you been getting up to today?'

'We've been very good Dad.  We went fishing down at the creek, but didn't catch anything.  Dave says he caught a barramundi, but it got away.  We were responsible, Dad, and you're always telling us we should act responsible.'

'And I was 'sponsible too Dad,' chimed in Dave.

'Dad,' and I gave him my most innocent smile.   'Wouldn't it be a good idea to show Mum how responsible we can be?'

Dad gave me a guarded look, as he wiped the sweat from his neck with his huge hankie.  'And how do you propose to do that?'

'Well, if we were to spend just one night in a tent down at the creek, she'd know we could look after ourselves, and she'd be proud of us, and so would you Dad.'

Dad laughed out loud.  'I wondered how you were going to try to swing it.'  He reached into his pocket and took out a new mobile phone, and my heart sank.

'Your Mum rang me to tell me what you were likely to do.  We didn't come down in the last shower, you know!'

He took a few long strides so that we had a job to keep up with him.  I quickly scampered in front, and opened the gate for him, ingratingly.  No, ingrashingly.  Oh well, you know what I mean.  As I turned around, I caught a smile on his face, and felt suddenly hopeful.

'Don't you think it's a good idea, Dad?'

'I think it's a great idea, but not until you're old enough, maybe a couple of years.'

'A couple of years?' I wailed.

'A couple of years?' Dave wailed.

'I'll tell you what you can do, though.  You can pitch the tent in the back garden, and pretend it's next to the creek.'

'Aw Dad!'

'I might have let you, but when you try to cause trouble between your Mum and I, you're lucky I don't get my belt out.  You should be old enough by now to know better.  Back garden or your own beds?'

We were beaten, and we knew it.  I quietly started making plans to lose that stupid mobile phone, accidentally, of course!