Out of the mouths of babes... comes deceit

THE CHILD is father of the man", wrote Wordsworth forcing generations of beleaguered A-level students to churn out essays on the tarnished innocence of youth.

- Vanessa Feltz

It turns out Wordsworth was spot on, but those teachers shoving the angelic infant philosophy down our throats certainly misunderstood him.

Babies are not miniature saints. We are born with buckets of original sin. Tiny tots engage in nefarious activities. Professors at the University of Bristol discovered a quarter of children under 10 months are capable of deceptive behaviour. Infants commit subterfuge, fudge the truth, pretend not to hear when adults address them and, prompted by impish urges, hide passports and car keys.

Far from brimming with thoughts of teddy bears and warm milk, their silken heads are often teeming with mutiny, self-interest and even daylight robbery.