A Lazy Afternoon in Tenby with a 4 year old

Najla was relaxed. I tried to coax her to take an afternoon nap but she was determined not to do it. She sat on the edge of her bed in her room, legs dangling and swinging, a nursery rhyme book which she took home from school under the read a book a week scheme in hand and singing the ‘hickory dickery dog’ song. I sang along with her and we continued singing other songs from the book too. She clapped her hands or tap her toes together for added stimulus in her singing. Her room is comfortably arranged, several colourful paintings that she did herself placed on the wall, “ I painted that by myself Tok Bah”, she would say, “and that too, and that one too” pointing to all of them “ I did all of them by myself”. “Very nice”, I said. She used solid colours in all the paintings and her selection of colours in each painting are all matched, to my eye that is! Pink and green appear to be her favourite.

I asked her about her friends in school and she said that she has many friends. I asked her to name them and she came up with four names. I asked if there are any more of her classroom friends she replied in the negative. “That’s all” she said. So, she may be selective in who she makes friend with. We continued chatting. I asked if she has friends here at home she replied in the affirmative and named the children of the neighbours who are colleagues of Fahrul in Tenby. She sometimes plays with these friends but not everyday she said.

Najla was quite talkative this time. She was in a talking mood apparently. She volunteered information readily. After talking about school, her friends, her recent travel with her parents and Tante Tess, she volunteered that there will be an addition in her family.

Najla: I will have someone to play with in this house later (hands clasped and smiles of anticipation}
Tok Bah: Oh! Who is this?
Najla: My Mummy is going to have a baby…..
Tok Bah: Really……..
Najla: Yes… Baby is now growing in Mummy’s tummy…..
Tok bah: Ok. What do you want? A baby boy or baby girl?
Najla: Baby girl only. I want to play with a girl. You see all the toys in this room, in the boxes there….. and here under the bed…. They are all girl toys and I am keeping them for the baby….
Tok Bah: But what if the baby is a boy?
Najla: No the baby is a girl….. eyes lighting up and twirling around, looking at the ceiling, the walls around her and avoiding eye contact with me (that’s telling me she has decided that it is going to be a girl, period!!) ha ha ha! I hope she would not fret if later on it turns out to be a baby boy!
Tok Bah: Baby will be very small for you to play with.
Najla: I will give toys to baby and play.
Tok Bah: But if baby cries who will look after baby?
Najla: I will look after baby.
Tok Bah: Oh you want to look after baby? Questioning her with my eyebrows rising up…
Najla: Yes, I can look after baby….
Tok Bah: Sure you can? Again with my eyebrows rising up….
Najla: Nodding her head, with full confidence….
Tok Bah: When baby need to take bath, and change clothes and all who will do it?
Najla: I will do it……..
Tok Bah: questioning look?
Najla: I can change baby’s clothes, put lotion and powder, and give baby milk….
Tok bah: Reallyyyyyyy?
Najla: Yessssss, eyes rolling, looking at the ceiling, the wall and trying to avoid eye contact with me, hoping I will drop the subject…….. but when she finally looked at me she said,” Mummy help”…….. heh heh at last she gave in……
Tok bah: Ok you can bathe baby, change baby’s clothes, put lotion and powder on baby. Very good. But if baby poo poo, who wash baby?
Najla: (immediate abrupt response) Mummy.
Tok bah: Oh! Mummy wash baby?
Najla: Yes, only Mummy wash baby. Very certain of herself. It’s like, no way am I going to wash all those poo….. ha ha ha. And she continued: Oh we will need baby potty. Baby can use my potty.
Tok Bah: Your potty?
Najla: Yes. But the potty is not here. It is in Malaysia. It is in PeeJay house.
Tok Bah: So, with the use of baby potty you can help wash the potty?
Najla: No, Mummy. Very sure of herself, heh heh.
She appeared uneasy, sitting at the edge of the bed and appeared almost slipping off. She was probably uncomfortable with this interview on poo poo. So I changed the subject and talked about her recent trip back to Malaysia. Well, we know now how determined a four year old can be and how her mind ticks. A lovely afternoon chat……. We continued with the singing and chatted some more.

MKI Ramblings Unlimited
Tenby, Wales