HOME IN MY OWN MIND - a 4-year-old's perspective

What does talking and listening feel like in my home?

Talking feels secure -it means that mum and dad and my sister Pippa are there. It means that my grandad and nana are there too sometimes ,and my best friend Ritchie from over the back -and my aunty Chrissy and uncle Kevin.

It means that dad is teaching me stuff. I know he is busy at his work downstairs but dad always listens to me and we spend time together after his work every day before dinner.

We have play fights and scrums. I like to play Star Wars most of all -and dad is Darth Vadar . Grandad isn’t very good at Star wars but we do other stuff together. Next week he is taking me fishing.

Grandad tells me stories and jokes a lot - although Nana Sue tells me the best ones because she is a teacher. We have to have manners in my house and say please, and thank you and ask in a nice voice - like dad. Dad doesn’t yell at me but if I don’t ask nicely I have to say it again.

We have a fire going in the winter time and its warm in the lounge and in the kitchen and I’m allowed to watch TV for a while and dad reads me stories.

Dinosauers are my favourites.

Mum often talks girls stuff with Pippa -she is 14. They make banana smoothies when they talk. Sometimes they shut the door. Dinks is my friend too -he is 7 and that’s not his real name, just a nickname. He doesn’t have his dad at his place and he sometimes is sad. Dad and mum like him and his mum and Dinks sometimes does stuff with us and dad if his mum is busy.

When I’m unhappy mum and dad ask me what the problem is and I can tell them because they make me feel like I’m important. I still have my favourite things in my ’wet weather’ box in my wardrobe. I can take it out and do colouring in and make things in my room.

We talk at the table when I’m having my weetbix for breakfast and I have fruit too - and toast and marmite -and strawberry yoghurt .Grandad took me to the supermarket yesterday and I was allowed to have some straw berries. They came from Queensland where my aunty lives. It is hot in Queensland so they grow their strawberries in autumn and winter. I miss my aunty.

Dad and grand dad like music and my favourite song is “6 months in a leaky boat”. Split Enz sing that - they have a funny name.it’s a cool song. We sing it.

When my sister is in a bad mood she and mum talk loudly and I can’t hear the TV sometimes.

Ritchies dog poohs in our garden - mum does’nt like that but she and Ritchie’s mum are best friends so that’s alright and mum has flowers in the garden.

Grandad made dinner last night. He cooked lamb steaks - I like them but grandad put hot stuff on them and it tasted funny a bit so I ate my potatos.

I was allowed to eat something else.

I beat grandad at snakes and ladders but I wasn’t allowed to watch TV in the afternoon. We walked down to the shops. I still have my green blankie and snuggle up to dad or mum when I’m tired.

Our cats don’t like each other much but I get to feed them too sometimes.

Brad is a nice cat and he sleeps on my bed sometimes.

Out on nana’s farm I do heaps of stuff. Nana has taught me to count and do times tables .

She spends heaps of time with me and I like going there.She has goldfish in the canal and uncle Rob drives through the paddocks in the farm truck. Sometimes I’m allowed too - and to feed the calves.

Next year I’ll be five and I’m going to school. It is a cool one in the country and mum went there too. We have good trees at our place and I’m allowed to get on some of them if mum or dad are there.

We live on a busy road and I’m not allowed to go outside my place unless dad or mum come with me. It is dangerous near the road and I don’t go there . Out where grandad lives a young person got run over by a car and she died. They had a tangi on the marae -she was a Maori girl and that’s what they have when someone dies. A tangi is like a funeral and its sad.

I have a box of dinosaurs and they can stay in the bathroom in their box til I have a bath. I know heaps about dinosaurs-they are my favourite things .Then I make a dinosaur land in my bedroom.

I’m not allowed to say naughty words and we have a 20 cent jar that you put money in.

I like my books and I put on my superman cape sometimes. Star wars is still my favourite.

Dad doesn’t growl me hardly at all. He tells me the good stuff to do.

He is my hero.

He just chills out and doesn’t yell or anything. He always tells me if I’ve been naughty and I say sorry. If I do something really silly or naughty like some kids at kindy do he is disappointed. My dad is kind. He gets tired but he just says “better chill out aye?” -Everyone likes my dad. He is taking me to rugby with granddad.

- 4yr old boy