“Yes, indeed it looks like she does like you,” Daddy replies, as the tiny black goat finishes the food in Tehya’s little hand.

  They continue down the path leading towards the exit. Just by the exit there is a little garden filled with little colourful windmills and little gnomes in pointed hats. And what’s scurrying amongst the colourful statues; small bunny rabbits and guinea pigs.

  “Daddy PLEEEEEASE can we hold the rabbits?” Tehya asks with a big bright smile on her face. “Ok, this will be the last of the animals and then we will head home before it gets too late,” says Daddy.

  Just right inside the garden, sitting by the gate to enter is a little old lady wearing a big pink hat and a bright purple polka dot dress. She smiles up at Tehya. “Which one do you want to hold?” she asks.

  “The really tiny little white one with the big fluffy ears and pink nose please,” Tehya says. The lady picks up the bunny and gently places it on Tehya’s lap. “Thank you,” says Tehya as she gently strokes the bunny.

  “Oh, what good manners you have; aren’t you the little lady, saying please and thank you,” remarks the lady in the big pink hat and polka dot dress.

  Tehya has learnt that you should always say please when you ask for something and thank you whenever you receive something. It’s a good thing…to have good manners! Tehya gives the tiny bunny back and says goodbye. Before they leave, they stop at the hand washing station. Everyone must wash their hands after touching animals. You never know what germs they may be carrying.

  Daddy and Tehya walk hand in hand. They both had a great day out and now head back to Daddy’s car. Daddy reminds Tehya about the seat belt. She buckles the seat belt, Daddy locks the doors and then they start out for home, singing all the way back.

  They finally arrive at Daddy’s home and Tehya helps Daddy take the bags of shopping out of the car and into the house. It’s good practice, being helpful. Helping family and friends especially when they are in need is like planting a loving seed in an imaginary garden.

  “Do you want to help me a little with dinner Tehya?” Daddy asks. “Can I Daddy?” asks Tehya. “Absolutely, the best way to learn is to watch and ask questions if you want to know something,” Daddy says. “Oh yes, mummy always says; monkey see, monkey do!” says Tehya with a smile. “But before we do, we need to wash our hands because we were outside all day, and don’t forget, we were also touching and petting the animals that we saw today.” “Our hands have come into contact with many dirty things and now we are going to start preparing dinner,” says Daddy.

  It’s always good practice to wash your hands, especially before you eat or touch food so you can wash any dirt and germs away; this is one way that will help stop them from getting into our bodies. Germs are unhealthy and very very tiny, so tiny we can’t see them but they can sometimes cause harm or make us ill. Tehya looks at her hands and says “They look clean but like you said Daddy, we can’t see all the germs,” as she takes the soap and turns on the tap. “Oh my gosh…Daddy literally washes his hands A HUNDRED times a day”, [Tehya says to herself with a checky smile]

  Tehya joins Daddy in the kitchen as he starts getting pots and pans out of the cupboards. Daddy starts preparing all the lovely food that they bought, while Tehya watches intensely. Tehya asks many questions about what Daddy is doing and sometimes she takes turns adding the various ingredients. She also helps him a little as he prepares the fish, vegetables and pasta.

  Daddy answers all of Tehya’s questions as he turns on the stove. “Now this is very important Little Princess,” Daddy says. “You have to always pay attention when you are using the hob or fire. You must be very careful or you could burn yourself, someone else or cause a fire in the house.” Daddy explains. A hob is a term for a stove.

  Tehya’s eyes open wide as she says; “Or we could burn our dinner, and I LOVE dinner!”

  Tehya listens very carefully as she watches Daddy stirring the pasta.

  “Soon you will know how to cook and you can cook for Daddy,” Daddy says rubbing his belly with a smile on his face as he makes funny sounds. “Yummy, yum yum,” exclaims Daddy.

  Tehya takes out her colouring book that she brought with her, and colours happily at the dining room table as she waits for Daddy to finish preparing the food.

  “Dinner is almost ready Tehya, so let’s clear the table so we can set it,” says Daddy. “Yeeeeee the food’s ready, I am sooooo hungry,” Tehya says as she helps set the table.

  The table is set and Daddy and Tehya wash their hands before they sit down to eat. Daddy serves up the delicious meal and they start eating.

  “How is the food Princess?” Daddy asks. “It’s yummy Daddy,” Tehya says. “Well make sure you eat all your food, remember we don’t like to waste food, many people are not as fortunate as us, always remember that,” says Daddy.

  “I will Daddy,” replies Tehya as she puts a piece of broccoli in her mouth. Daddy’s right, many people in the world are too poor or don’t have enough food to eat. For that reason, we should all be grateful to have food anytime we want and that’s why Daddy doesn’t like to waste food.

  “I love the fish Daddy, it tastes like grandma’s fish she cooked in The Bahamas and I love the gravy like tomato sauce she prepares,” Tehya says munching away. “It’s not as good as grandma’s fish; it’s a little different than when we were in The Bahamas, but it’s close,” Daddy says smiling back.

  They talk and laugh and laugh and talk as they recap the fun filled day they had, while they finish their yummy dinner.

  After dinner, they snuggle on the couch to watch one of Tehya’s favourite movies, Cinderella. Tehya loves all the Disney princesses.

  It’s a little late after they finish watching the movie and soon it’s time for bed. Tehya changes into her pyjamas and starts getting ready for bed.

  “Make sure you brush your teeth before bed,” says Daddy. “I will,” says Tehya.

  Daddy joins Tehya in the bathroom with his toothbrush and together they brush their teeth. Tehya watches Daddy and copies him as he makes sure they brush all their teeth, top, bottom, front, back, underneath and behind. They finish, rinse their mouths then wipe their faces clean.

  “Let’s see,” Daddy says, as Tehya shows her teeth in the form of a big grin. “Good job Tehya,” exclaims Daddy. “Now let me see Daddy,” says Tehya. Daddy opens his mouth wide. “Good job Daddy,” Tehya says with a checky little smile.

  Little face all washed; little teeth all brushed and Tehya jumps into bed just as Daddy walks back into the bedroom. “Are you ready for bed Little Princess?” asks Daddy. “Yes, but can you read me a bed time story please?” asks Tehya. “Of course,” says Daddy. Tehya climbs out of bed and takes the story book out of her little Gruffalo suit case. She jumps back into bed as she hands the story book to her Daddy.

  Daddy reads the title, The Monster Race in Space and then begins the story. Tehya listens carefully as she enjoys looking at the brightly coloured pictures. “That’s such a funny story Daddy, space monsters chasing a magical star and all the crazy things they got up to in space,” says Tehya. “It was a crazy fun story,” Daddy replies. “Daddy, how many stars are there in space?” Tehya asks, as she positions Bunny on her pillow beside her. Bunny is Tehya’s favourite stuffed toy, she travels almost everywhere with her. They get up to quite the adventure sometimes!

  “I honestly don’t know Tehya,” says Daddy. “Hmmmm, I know, do you want me to get the tablet and Google it?” asks Daddy. “Yes, let’s Google it, can I do it please Daddy?” Tehya excitedly asks.

  Daddy gets the tablet and hands it to Tehya. She presses the button and then speaks.

  “How many stars are there in space?” Tehya asks.

  A computer-generated voice replies, “There are a hundred billion stars in the Milky Way galaxy.”

  “Wow!” says Tehya, “that is a lot of stars; no way I could ever count all of them.” “Yes, I think that will be a hard task indeed,” Daddy says. “Space is an immense area that just continues and continues with countless amounts of stars and planets. The universe and our planet is a beautiful thing isn’t it?” asks Daddy. “Yes, it is, we are learning about the planets in school,” exclaims Tehya. “Well you better pay attention in class because there is a lot to learn in school and this is because there is a lot to learn in the world,” says Daddy.

  “Ok, bed time, we had a lovely day, I hope you dream of princesses and magical unicorns,” says Daddy as he tucks the covers over Tehya. “Will you sing ‘The Man on the Moon’ for me please?” asks Tehya yawning.

  Daddy sits down beside her on the bed and starts singing.

  “He’s always happy and never looks mean…” ‘The Man on the Moon’ is a lovely little song that Daddy has been singing to Tehya since she was a little baby and he still sings it to this day.

  He finishes the song and kisses her good night.

  “Who’s Daddy’s little girl?” he asks. “I am!” Tehya replies. To which Daddy replies, “Always and forever.” He turns the light off, walks out and closes the door.

  Tehya wakes up the next day; Daddy has been up since early doing things around the house and in the garden.

  “Morning Tehya,” says Daddy. “Morning Daddy,” replies Tehya. “Did you sleep well?” “I did,” replies Tehya as they walk into the kitchen.

  Daddy washes his hands and asks Tehya what she wants for breakfast. “American pancakes please,” says Tehya as she runs to the toilet. “I need the toilet,” shouts Tehya as she darts around the corner and closes the door behind her.

  “Make sure you wash your hands with soap. I don’t want you to be like those many people I see, and know, that use the toilets but still refuse to wash their hands; remember germs,” Daddy says.

  “I won’t be one of those people,” says Tehya from behind the door.

  She sits down at the breakfast table and starts eating her pancakes just as Daddy pours the sweet and GOOOWY syrup over the pancake stacks. “These are so yummy,” Tehya exclaims as she gobbles them all up. “It tastes just like the ones I had with my brother,” she says as she pops the fork in her mouth.

  Tehya’s brother is American and lives in the United States. I hear he makes great pancakes.

  “Good girl,” Daddy says as he kisses her forehead. “I am taking you back to your mum’s today Princess, so I want you to go have a bath and pack your little suitcase. Let’s try not to forget anything this time so make sure you have looked around carefully,” says Daddy. “Alright Daddy,” Tehya says, “I will try not to forget anything.”

  Daddy and Tehya have got better, but they still seem to forget some things from time to time. Oh, what a funny Daddy, Daddy is!

  Daddy turns on the water and very soon the tub is filled with warm water for Tehya’s bath. “Do you want bubbles in it?” “Yes please,” Tehya exclaims. And soon the tub is filled with bubbles and Tehya slips in. Daddy helps her wash the hard to reach places so she is squeaky clean. “Make sure you get behind your ears Little Princess, we don’t want mushrooms to grow,” Daddy says with a laugh. “Mushrooms don’t grow behind your ears Daddy,” Tehya says laughing as well. “I know, Daddy is being silly, but we definitely want to make sure they are clean, don’t we?” Daddy says as they chuckle together.

  Tehya finishes her bath and gets dressed. Daddy gets himself ready while Tehya reads one of her books quietly in the living room. Tehya loves reading. The more she practices the better she will become. Tehya wants to be a doctor or an inventor when she grows up; she loves helping people. Daddy always tells Tehya that she can become whatever she wants to become, just by working hard and believing in herself. “And so can you”!

  Daddy finishes getting ready and completes a few last-minute tasks around the house.

  “Princess, I was thinking, why don’t we stop and have a little picnic on the way back home to your mum; I found a new playground to try out,” Daddy says in a funny deep voice. “Have we been there before?” Tehya asks. “No, it’s a brand new one that I have found,” replies Daddy.

  Daddy and Tehya love going to playgrounds and playing together. Daddy is always on the lookout for new playgrounds and fun places to experience with Tehya when he has her on the weekends.

  Daddy opens the fridge and takes out some tasty fruit, pieces of cheese; some carrot sticks, humus and then fills a big shiny flask with ice cold water. Then he opens up the cupboard and takes a few chocolate chip cookies out of a package, puts them in a little reusable container and carefully packs everything in his back pack, which he places on the table near to his keys. Daddy then opens a wardrobe in the hallway and pulls out a brown picnic blanket which he also puts near the keys.

  “Ok little one, is your suitcase packed, do you have EVERYTHINGGGG?” he says as he raises his eyes.

  “Everything is packed Daddy and I am not forgetting anything.” Tehya says as she darts back to the room to double check.

  All packed up and ready to go they take all the things to the car, conduct one last check and drive off; all buckled up.

  They drive for a while then shortly arrive at a wooded area, where they park alongside the curb. Between the car and the curb lies a large green iron gate with butterfly designs in it. Daddy and Tehya unbuckle their seat belts, and then Daddy takes hold of the back pack as Tehya scrambles out the other side of the car.

  “Are we here?” Tehya asks. “We are HEREEEEEEEEE,” replies Daddy, as he makes a trumpet sound, TOOT! TOOT! TOOT!

  “Oh Daddy,” Tehya says as she giggles happily. She really is such a happy little girl.

  They enter through the large iron gate filled with butterfly designs and walk hand in hand along a winding path, which soon takes them to an open field. In the distance, they can just make out small figures running around and climbing on a large colourful structure. It’s the new playground Daddy found.

  At that moment Tehya takes off with a sprint. Her hair bounces and blows in the wind as she zigs zags through the green grass, her attention focused on the target.

  “Be careful not to trip!” shouts Daddy as he follows behind carrying the bag.

  Eventually Daddy arrives at the large structure consisting of swings, slides, a zip wire, mini climbing wall and a labyrinth of twisted metal that forms a large rocket ship.

  Tehya shouts down from the rocket ship. “Look at me Daddy; I am almost at the top.” “Make sure you always have a tight grip just in case your feet slip,” Daddy says as he cautiously watches as she continues to climb to the top.

  Daddy is always a little overprotective when it comes to his Little Princess. But Tehya is strong and quite a tough little girl who is fearless when she plays. And Daddy does actually like that about her.

  Daddy walks a few feet away from the playground area and sets the blanket down on the soft green grass. He makes sure he takes any important belongings out of the back pack before resting it on the blanket and returning to the play area. Its good practice to ensure your important personal property is always safe and sound.

  Tehya, whom has already conquered the rocket ship, has jumped onto the neighbouring wooden bridge section. There are ropes hanging from the archways and on the side walls are little windows cut out in the shape of diamonds.

  “I am a hungry troll whom lives under the bridge and eats little girls,” says Daddy with his hands up and in a deep rough voice. “Gobble, Gobble Gobble, Grrrrrrrraaa, Grrrrrrrrraaa, Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrraaaaaaaa!” he continues as he lunges for Tehya as she quickly evades his grab attack. “Mr. Troll you can’t catch me,” Tehya yells. “And now you are under my trapdoor…time to release the lava from my lava pit,” Tehya says, as she pulls down on an imaginary lever.

  “ARRRRgggggggg oooogggl Arrrrrrrooooowwww, I’m melting awayyyyy,” Daddy cries as he slowly wiggles and sways to the ground.

  They spend a good while playing together. Daddy always says he’s never too old to play or have fun imagining with his daughter and that’s why she will always be Daddy’s little girl!

  They take a much-needed break and walk over to the blanket where Tehya plops herself down while Daddy opens the bag and takes out the yummy snacks and water.

  “Here you go little Princess…Give me your hands so I can wipe them with the wet napkin,” Daddy says, as he wets the napkin and wipes her little hands thoroughly. Remember washing hands before we touch food will help keep us germ free.

  Hands now clean; they both sit down and start on the food. Tehya especially loves the fruit. It’s such a refreshing, tasty and healthy snack, especially on a warm day.

  While they eat, they talk and talk. They both love talking to each other; Daddy and his little girl. Tehya tells Daddy about what she has recently learnt in school, the human digestive system and how and why bees make honey.

  Tehya continues to tell Daddy what she has learned in school and how she has done on her spelling. Ten out of ten.

  Daddy makes sure he clears up all the rubbish and walks over to a bin to throw it away. He and Tehya are very careful to make sure they don’t leave any rubbish on the beautiful parks’ lovely green grass. No one likes a litterbug!

  They both get up and head to the play area; however, Daddy spots a wooded area of big trees on the outskirts of the play area.

  “Look over there.” Daddy points to the trees. “Let’s go and climb,” he says in a bellowing voice. “Oh yeah,” Tehya yells, running towards where he pointed.

  They reach the area. Tehya carefully inspects the trees and decides upon the best strategy to tackle her first tree. She starts on the base of an awkwardly curved tree. Daddy stands under her with arms stretched just in case Tehya should slip. “Be careful; make sure you have a good grip before releasing the other hand,” says Daddy cautiously. “I will. I am like Spider Girl,” Tehya remarks with confidence.

 

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