Henry Park Primary -- Sasha Roy Pravin #SpeakUp2026

Ladies and gentlemen, my name is Sasha and I am 7 years old. I am from Henry Park Primary School and today I'm going to speak on the topic why every adult secretly wishes to be a kid. In the afternoon yesterday, while I was happily building a castle with my favourite Lego sets that made my mother dressed in blue tulle, her eyes were scrunched up so tight they almost touched. I heard her sigh and mutter words like performance targets, deadlines and I wish I could just retire I'm not entirely sure what all those fancy words mean, but one thing was crystal clear. Mummy was definitely not having as much fun as I was. Mummy always tells me that being an adult is stressful. Yet, another word I'm still trying to figure out is, she tells me, Sasha, enjoy being a kid while you can. Jobs have been taken over by AI and everything's getting so expensive and everything is hard. That got me thinking, what if we switched places for it? Just like the movie Freaky Friday, where a mother and daughter inadvertently switch bodies. I am certain mummy would jump at the chance to live in my shoes. Why? Because childhood is awesome. Have you seen my school's amazing collection? On my absolute favourite place on earth, the school bookshop packed with sweet scented erasers and glittery notebooks. Plus, tiny ones who don't have major exams When Mummy was my age, she had to sit through 4 giant exams every single year. And plus, staying home. We had to attend birthday parties almost every weekend, where I can dress up in my prettiest dresses and eat the yummiest cake and have fun with my friends. Mummy is so careful about what she eats and tells me, she is growing horizontally If Mummy took places with me, she would get lots more sleep too. I'm in bed by 8.30 at night, unlike Mummy who often has to continue work on her laptop, after my brother and I go to bed. If Mummy took places with me instead of staring at her phone waiting for my brother and me, she could run wild at West Coast Park. She could actually climb the giant rope pyramid and slide down without a care in the world. One tiny cat, so sure mummy would enjoy attending all the tuition classes she has signed me up for. Creative writing, Abeka, Kumon, the list goes on. So to all the adults, maybe it's time to stop pushing us kids and find yourself some fun. Life isn't just about deadlines and performance time. If you ever feel overwhelmed, pause, smell scented erasers, build that Lego castle and remember to enjoy the life.