I’m Home Mum. Did You Miss Me?
Overview
In the short vignette “I’m Home Mum. Did You Miss Me?” the main character `Bronwyn’ goes through many trials and tribulations early in her life. In this essay, we will be looking at the reasons behind those issues and what factors made it possible for her to overcome them.
Premature Birth
Bronwyn had a rough start to life, born six-weeks premature and of extremely low birth weight at only four pounds. One possible reason as to why she was born premature could be the mothers’ use of or exposure to teratogens during pregnancy. Teratogens (Santrock, 2004) are anything that causes birth defects. They could be diseases, drugs, and pollutants in the environment, stress or a child born to aged parents.
Smoking
At the end of the vignette, a phrase is used, “Ka nui te aroha mo ratou”, which would lead you to believe they are a Maori family. The fact Bronwyn was born premature and had severe breathing problems could possibly be due to her mother smoking during pregnancy. This hypothesises is further confirmed by studies that show 48% of Maori smoke (http://www.smokefree.co.nz/audience_maori.htm).