A kid

When you were five, what did you want to be when you grew up?

When I was five years old, all I wanted to do was play all day. The thought of going to kindergarten and then going window shopping with my mom was so much fun for both of us. My younger brother was left behind because he was also in school.

When I came back from window shopping with my mom, I would tease him by telling him that I had ice cream with her. He would get so upset, and I just loved seeing his reaction when he was only four years old.

I remember having a dog, chickens, hens, ducks, geese, and baby chicks. But as these animals except the dog grew up, they were slaughtered and cooked into curry. The same animals that once fed me with their eggs ended up in the cooking pot. It felt cruel—feeding them only to have them eaten later. Maybe that’s why I eventually became a vegetarian. I wonder if that was childhood trauma, watching the animals I cared for end up as food.

At that age, I didn’t like my dad because he was always accusing my mom of one thing or another. It was so unfair. My poor mom had to put up with him. I used to wish I were a police officer so I could lock my dad and his sisters in jail for good, making sure they never hurt my mom again.

I also dreamed of being super rich in property because I loved playing Monopoly.

Now, in the present, I am not a policewoman. As for all the chaos my dad caused my mom, he is now in a special home. The property part is still a work in progress—I am working hard to pay my way out of the financial mess I learned about as a child. My dad and his envious sisters were the real cause of the problems, yet he accused my mom of stealing money.

When I was five, I had dreams of what I wanted to be when I grew up, but life has turned out differently.