'What would you do if . . .?' & ' What’s your problem?' by J.F. aged 10

What would you do if . . .?

                                                 by J.F. aged 10

What would you do if your best friend moved to England? What would you do if your brother broke your iPad?

What would you do if your mother died?

Most people would simply say: “Go live with my father.”

I don’t have a father and my mother is dead. Why and how, nobody knows. Nobody – except me.

Only yesterday it came: a letter for my mother.

A dark look had crossed her face. I knew what that meant. She had been called forth all because of me. I was the one who forgot to put the craft leaves away. My mum was an artist. She made 3D sculptures of nature.

The inspection squad knocked on the door for a surprise house inspection. The leaves on the table looked like some sort of drug to the inspection squad. They were taken away to be analysed.

She was to be heard in court today but last night she cut a slit down her arm and bled herself to death.

By sunset I shall be with her in Heaven – but dead, on earth.

What’s your problem?

                                           by J.F. aged 10

We all have a problem. Some of us have a common problem. One of these is smoking.

We should have a smokefree world but lots of people smoke. There are many reasons people smoke. They might want to be ‘cool’ (lots of popular people smoke) or it might be because of stress.

Lots of parents smoke. There are two main reasons for this: us kids can be a bit of a handful which causes stress on our folks. Also, your grandparents may have smoked.

But why do we have to live with all this? We have to speak out if we want this to stop. We are the younger generation and we’re going to be around for a while yet.

We are not brave. We can’t stand in front of you and say, “Pleases stop smoking, Dad.”

But that is what we want to say. So we dwell in our sadness, regretting the future when we will most likely follow our parents’ footsteps.

You could always put your thoughts on paper and leave it in the dining room table or kitchen bench.

You need to speak out; make your thoughts known.

And parents: JUST STOP SMOKING!

Do it for our sake. For the new generation.