Late last night I overheard my mum talking to my dad in the kitchen in hushed tones. We not long ago finished dinner and I was about to head to bed. I was in my room reading a book when I heard laughter coming from the kitchen. The conversation sounded pretty serious so naturally I was concerned. I desperately wanted to know what my parents were saying.
I was worried that we might have been moving house when I heard the words sustainable home builder. Melbourne was stormy that day so it was really hard to hear with the wind going on around the house. As quietly as I could I tried to sneak into the kitchen, to better hear what was being said. As soon as I crossed under the table my mother spotted me with her impressive peripheral vision. She asked me what I was doing out of bed, and as I walked up to her I started to cry and asked if we were moving house. Both of my parents let out a snort and a laugh and asked me why on earth I had that idea. I told them I’d heard them talking about getting an eco friendly home in Melbourne. Dad explained to me they actually talking about something else entirely, not a house. I was relieved that we weren’t moving but also curious as to which type of housing they were talking about. Mum could obviously could see the strange look on my face, so she told me they were talking about buying my sister a house as a wedding gift.
I spent the rest of the night sitting at the kitchen table on my mum’s lap as they discussed the possibility of building an environmentally friendly home for my sister and her new husband. It was a very exciting thought. I was really overjoyed that my parents had included me in the conversation, I learnt a great deal. Especially when my parents looked at sustainable house designs online. I wanted to know what they were doing, so I’d gotten to learn all about it. I was so happy that my parents had treated me like an adult. It was nice that they didn’t send me away like a child who was in the wrong place.