When it comes to thinking they know it all and can do it all better than the adults in their life, my kids are world champions. The frequency with which Mike is told that “Daddy, you just don’t understand..” is high and he often finds himself trying to defend his position to an irate 10 year-old, even on matters where he quite obviously has far more expertise than anyone else in the room – think anything building-related given his career as a chartered surveyor. There is a certain level of deference awarded to me, after all I’ve proved over and over again that Mummy knows everything there is to know and, besides which, she really isn’t someone you want to get on the wrong side of ever; but the opinion of just about every other adult is scrutinised carefully and often rejected on the basis that they just don’t understand either. M has some very strong opinions and would, and sometimes has, happily argued the case that the sky is green for hours, often with a reluctant truce having to be declared before World War III breaks out across the dinner table. As for G, well she has perfected the teenage eye-roll ahead of hitting her 13th birthday and it’s often accompanied by a surly shrug of her shoulders and a mumbled “Whatever” as she heads upstairs to the seclusion of her bedroom.

So, you can imagine my thoughts when G and M were invited to be a part of this year’s Takeover Challenge at Great Ormond Street Hospital through G’s involvement with the GOSH YPF. This is a fantastic project run during November by the Children’s Commissioner and sees organisations and businesses across the UK opening their doors and inviting children and young people to take over adult roles. The Challenge seeks to “…put children and young people in decision-making positions and encourages organisations and businesses to hear their views. Children gain an insight into the adult world and organisations benefit from a fresh perspective about their work.” Excitement has been building in our household for weeks as G and M looked forward to finding out more about how the hospital is run and last Wednesday couldn’t come soon enough for my two excited children. I was delighted for them to have this experience, but my true sympathies lay with those adults who would be brave enough to let this opinionated duo step into their shoes, even for a day.

The children were invited to take-over the Development and Property Services department as Director and Deputy Director for the day. The information they received in advance told them that they would have a “behind the scenes” tour of the hospital with opportunities to learn about the systems that help the hospital to run efficiently, including visiting the plant room with engineers, learning about the food ordering system and how the meals get to the children on ward and understanding more about how the hospital plans and designs spaces to be fun and interesting for the patients, their families and the staff. Ahead of the day itself, both G and M were asked to complete a profile to be shared with the Development team, explaining a little about why they were interested in this role as well as what their involvement with GOSH is. G had 2 key areas of interest – finding out how the kitchens cater for patients with food allergies and how new spaces and redevelopment work is done – whilst M was eager to see the plant and machinery that makes the hospital run and find out more about the technology in place.

Determined to dress for the occasion, M’s clothes were chosen the weekend before to make sure that everything he needed was washed and ironed, unlike his sister, who typically left everything to the last-minute and was then put out when her first couple of outfits were deemed unsuitable by me. Taking the challenge very seriously indeed, M solemnly told me that I needed to make sure he was in bed early on the Monday and Tuesday so that he could be well-rested and ready for a busy day. Our decision to head to London on the Tuesday night after a Year 6 meeting at his school slightly scuppered those plans and his night’s rest was then further disrupted by a 5am fire alarm in the hotel, something none of us appreciated. The further stress of the drive across London to make sure that we reached GOSH in time whilst being questioned constantly as to when we would arrive, tested my nerves thoroughly, though we did make it – by the skin of our teeth. The hurried unloading of G, M and me just around the corner so that we could dash to the main entrance by 10am as Mike went off to the park the car, was an unexpected drama I could really have done without.

However, the day itself was a huge success and we are still hearing snippets about it a week on. Whilst both children took over the same department, their mornings were filled with different activities to meet the interests they had already expressed in their completed profiles. M spent the morning with Development Director, Matthew Tulley, the highlights being exploring the roof of the hospital and learning more about CAD. That second activity earned the accolade that “CAD is rad!”, something I suspect will stick with the Development team for a long time. G headed in a different direction to learn more about different aspects of what this department does. She went with Deputy Director Stephanie Williamson and spent the morning planning and designing a new orthopaedic therapy space, which she really enjoyed, though it proved to be a challenge to fit all the requirements into the space available. She then headed to the kitchen to find out a little more about how patient meals are prepared, before meeting up with M and Matthew for their lunch. A big thank you has to be given at this point to Stephanie and the rest of the catering team who did a sterling job at providing safe meals for both children to enjoy. Both had been able to choose their menus before the day itself and the team had taken on board M’s request for either rice pudding or a rice krispy cake for pudding, which he was delighted to see.

After lunch, they both went to the Special Diets kitchen, where I’ve been told they met the 4 Simons who work there and M wondered if that was a prerequisite of working in the kitchens. I understand that the team was delighted to finally put a face to a name and actually meet a patient that they have had to cater for in the past. There was then enough time to head off to Coram Fields and chair a meeting about the new research centre being built and discuss the hoarding that will be used to surround the site. They even managed to find their way on to the building site, where M’s enthusiasm in particular has earned him the offer of a return visit to see the completed building in a couple of years’ time.

After our own day spent walking round London together, Mike and I met them back at the main reception where they were both clasping bits and pieces they had accumulated during their day in the job. It had been a fun day spent learning more about the hospital we have spent so much time in over the last few years and they thoroughly enjoyed every moment of their experience. We had a peaceful homeward journey after M’s gastro appointment, with M taking a nap as we headed out to Westfield for dinner and then both falling asleep as we travelled back home.

I can’t thank Steph, Matt and the rest of the Development and Property Services department enough for the time they took to spend with G and M and show them what goes into making a busy children’s hospital run. They both had an amazing day and are already talking about what department they might be able to take-over next year if they have the opportunity again.