Father’s Day for dads with small children is a real joy. Jack is already really excited, and has been promising me a “real relax” on Sunday for the best part of the weekend.

So excited in fact, that he couldn’t resist giving me the present he’d made at nursery early. This year’s present – as my child’s ‘craft’ skills slowly develop beyond arbitrary scrawling – consists of a ‘model’ of Chitty Chitty Bang Bang made from a discarded beer box and stuck-on milk bottle tops for wheels.

And a card, of course, with a drawing of what I’m told is our house but looks more like a square and a triangle squashed together.

Every parent will tell you how lovely it is to have something made for you, regardless of what it looks like. But when it comes to Jack, the real joy is seeing his little face light up with excitement in anticipation of my reaction.

I always think this is much nicer than receiving a generic pair of socks, or naff card, as is often the present-of-choice for dads with older children.

That said, although it doesn’t tend to attract as much media hype as equivalent events, such as birthdays or Mother’s Day, it’s nice to know that we’re still appreciated, regardless of the gift.

But this year I’ve had my mood spoiled a little. In a shameless effort to capture this heightened interest in dads this weekend, one company has decided it’s high time to publish a survey about how rubbish we are comparative to mums.

Insure.com have gone to the trouble of calculating the ‘value’ of dad chores around and about the house.

Barbecuing, killing bugs and mowing the lawn is apparently all we’re good for, but worse still we’re told mum’s chores – cooking, cleaning and nursing wounds – are far more valuable in monetary terms. Three times as valuable in fact.

Even if this is true, do we really need to hear this right before Father’s Day?

Let’s hope I’ve forgotten about by the morning when I get served up breakfast in bed by an eager Jack, who’ll probably insist on sharing it with me. Bless.