It’s quite a rare thing that a parent gets a lesson in technology from a three-year-old, but it appears to happen to me quite often.

Now I’m no technophobe, but I’m not fortunate to enough to have an iPhone either. Unlike my wife or course, who does, and by extension, so does Jack.

For all of my jealous cynicism, the iPhone has proved an absolute saviour when it comes to parenting. That’s not to shun my own, less impressive smartphone, which is backup saviour when my wife’s more advanced machine runs out of battery or is otherwise in use.

Whether it’s YouTube, kids’ games or learning tools – the iPhone is a portable distraction tool that has saved us from the brink of temper tantrums during many a meal out or long train journey.

The funny thing is, Jack very obviously uses it more often than I do, and knows how to do things on it that I don’t. This is how I ended up being taught how to complete a level on Angry Birds by my three-year-old.

Okay, so I may have exaggerated slightly. Jack tried to teach me how to complete it. In actual fact neither of us could complete it in the end, but Jack certainly showed me how to get more pigs than I’d had luck with on my own.

I’d have had no idea what direction to ‘ping’ that yellow Angry Bird in had I not been shown. Thank you Jack.

It’s not just the games either. Last week, I was furiously jabbing at the screen in an attempt to get a Muppets YouTube clip to play horizontally. I expect I would have remained clueless for the duration of the two minute video too, were it not for Jack’s intervention. “You have to tap the top like this,” he explained.

If he gets any better at using the thing, I may have to set up a pop-up stall in the centre of town and start charging money for advice. I mean, it would be a waste not to, wouldn’t it?