ABSTRACT
Children of all ages frequently surprise me with what they are able to communicate about their experiences. Their concerns can be conveyed in a spectrum of behaviours as well as through direct verbal expression. In my experience they generally have very strong feelings about their relationships with parents and other care-givers, which, given the opportunity, they are usually willing to share with an adult who will listen respectfully. Sometimes their preoccupations are revealed by what they say first. Pre-schoolers are typically uninhibited about what they are prepared to disclose to strangers. On one occasion, before I had a chance to introduce myself or explain the reason for my visit to the nursery, a child who had just turned four opened the conversation with, ‘My mummy's poorly’ And on another, a child of five greeted me in the reception area with, ‘I'm not allowed in the playground because I just hit James.’ ‘Oh,’ I said, ‘How does that feel?’ ‘Sad and angry,’ he replied.
