I know I've denied that I'm a geek but I think this is going to ruin that argument. Every time my friends and I discuss having kids, we talk about the age where they're useful for fetching things or the age that they can mow the lawn. Well I was having a think about it and I decided that I'm not going to want my kids to fetch things for me or mow the lawn so maybe there would be no point in me having kids, (because we all know the happiness and joy of children crap that other people with kids tell you is completely false and to trick you into it).

Then I realised what I'd get them to do! Debugging code! They would be my variables, from the time they were old enough to remember a number and do basic addition and subtraction. I'd give each of them a name and a value and then tell them to do things like increment, or assign a new value as I step through my code. I can imagine someone at a computer, surrounded by kids saying "foobar! What is your value? What is your type?". I guess the only thing you'd have to be careful of is what you name variables when you're angry... I think that would be called verbal abuse.

Anyway. Not happening for a while yet so other people should try it and let me know how old they have to be before they can hold a value. Maybe they need a permanent current applied like RAM?
Maz