When I ‘m bigger, I am going to go on a big slide and pipes up my three year old daughter ; Ella, right on cue we’re driving past a giant water slide that’s a landmark of the sea side suburb where we live .
Everyday without falling she utters those words in the mixture of self assuredness and longing , while I watch her wistful expression in the rear view mirror. On hot days we can see the queues of squealing children waiting to ascend, before being spat out by the giant blue snake like tumbling leaves being flushed out of drain pipe. The water slide has three levels. The bigger, brave children head for the top platform , a height of 10 meters. And that is where Ella wants to be . She's been on the slide , but only on the lowest kiddies section . If her desperate dad thought talking her would put a stop to conquest, he was wrong if anything having heard the waves of the ocean wash over her head has made her more determined to get up there.
Ella was born 6 weeks premature, and although healthy, she's never really caught up to her proper size. So it would be a long wait for her. Like most toddlers she dislikes vegetables . We came up with one of those schemes that parents resorts to when to feel the rein of control slipping . If you don't eat your vegetables you will never grow strong enough to go to water slide. I say swallowing her resentment . Ella makes a brave attempts at forcing down the dreaded green stuff [vegetable]. You see she believes in her dreams and if spinach and broccoli are going to get her there she’ll bite down . I feel a bit mean every time I say those words because I know it will be many years before she’ll be big enough to fulfill her wish.
So I will not discourage my daughter from wanting to dive in the water side . She believe in something . So with this I want you to believe your dream and others will too. Dream it and do it. You can make it happen.
Extract from 7th Edition
King Praise Publication,
Jan-Mar 2017 , p 1
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