One of the effects of Rosalie growing up and becoming more mobile is that I have lost my justification for using the car on short journeys.

My rationale used to go something like this: she can't walk far, and she could run out into the road. Because of this, when we are out she needs to sit on my lap, which makes pushing my wheelchair very hard work and restricts how far we can go “on foot”.

But now she is a little girl (NO, Dad. I'm a big girl) and can walk on her own, as well as being aware enough of the risks of traffic, we leave the car at home more often.

The trouble is, she still sits on my lap most of the time, and at 3 years old she is bigger now, which makes it even harder to push - and over longer distances, too.

The main difficulty we face is that it is impossible for me to hold her hand and push the chair at the same time, because we end up going round in circles. This is only of limited use: going down a spiral staircase, for example, though I don't need to explain why this would be a bad idea.

I experimented with leads and harnesses when Rosalie was a bit smaller, but the constant movement of my arm and her erratic movements meant that we often ended up in a tangle or, worst of all, I would clip her foot with the front wheel. Then there was the occasional disapproving look, as if I were training her to walk to heel or taking her to the park to save on nappies.

Now when she walks she tries to keep one hand on my knee, as all the conditioning to hold hands with her mum or the childminder has created a need to be in touch. This is a good thing, but we have to find a way to make it work when she is with me in the wheelchair without her sitting on my lap. It's a hard habit to break, though, as it's hard enough negotiating the inconsistencies of the average London pavement without worrying about running over your own child.

Perhaps I need some kind of prosthetic hand that can stick out sideways from my chair? Then again, I can see problems with this - I would be clipping lampposts or inadvertently making “personal contact” with people on busy pavements.

So for now she stays on my lap. And, if I'm honest, I like it that way. Rosalie gives me a running commentary on the world around her as she sees it. The rest of the world tends to greet us with a smile. And then there's the opportunity to go “faster, faster!” when we go downhill. I'm sure it's one of the few things that she likes about her dad being in a wheelchair. And at least it makes me get some exercise.

www.timrushby-smith.com

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