Terry Browne loves the bond he shares with son Dominic Browne and it was evident on the Sunday afternoon when we met for the interview at the Richard Haynes Boardwalk, where Dominic stayed by dad’s side most of the time except when he asked for permission to give a cursory glance at something that caught his eye.
“We hang out together a lot,” Terry said. “It’s fun hanging out with him. I love that I have developed a relationship with Dominic. He is easy to hang out with, no pressure on me to do much for him . . . he is an easy-going child. I really don’t have to repeat myself. He listens and we have a good rapport . . . he knows what behaviour is expected of him.”
Terry, who is in his 40s, has been taking care of Dominic, 9, since birth.
“I love the dropping off at school, pickups and drop-offs . . . we spend time together. I am there for him in every aspect of school.”
Terry, who gave Dominic his name (“in the Bible it means ‘of the Lord’ ”), said responsibilities also extend to extracurricular activities and the entrepreneur has a routine that works for him every day.
“I basically set my own hours for work and it also depends on what I have to do for the day but I am there for Dominic every day from he wakes up to when he goes to bed.”
Terry is up at 5:30 a.m. to start preparing Dominic’s breakfast and lunch and wakes his son at 6 a.m.
“We live in Christ Church and so by 7:15 a.m. we are on the road so he can get to St Cyprian’s [Boys’ School] for 8:30 a.m. Some evenings we do lessons, then there is karate (green belt) and he plays badminton and tennis.”
“Dad also plays tennis so I play with him sometimes,” chimed in the small, shy voice of Dominic who was next to dad.
It’s a balance with Terry and Dominic when it comes to school and play and Dominic gets an hour a day each week to watch TV and on weekends, after lessons, “it’s his time to do what he wants”, explained dad.
Dominic cheekily tries to bargain with dad for extra time. “Sometime I give in, because as he gets older I have eased up a bit. Today, [Sunday of the interview at the Hastings venue] it was revision for exams but after that he is free.”
Dominic has an older sister Crystal Austin and theyhang out on weekends with her brother Rakeem Austin.
“Her dad Carl Austin and I make sure the kids keep close,” Terry explained.
Speaking of school, dad laughed when asked about what he finds stressful in terms of raising Dominic.
“Stress is homework, helping him and making sure he does it right. My way back in the day and today’s ways of doing stuff, especially maths, is very different.
“Fractions are a killer for me. Gosh, I thought I had it down pat until he started to show me how to do it,” he said laughing.
Dominic answers everything with a “yes, please” or “no, please” and thinks a bit about what he loves to eat when asked (“mashed potatoes and spaghetti”) and doesn’t like “broccoli and carrot”.
“I try to do tasty stuff,” said Terry, “but you know how kids are,” he added, laughing. Another fun time is when Dominic tries to help out in the kitchen, under the watchful eye of dad.
“I?want him to pretty much know how to handle life. I want him to be able to look after himself and be in a position to do that and to be independent
Terry stated his biggest fear for his son is “him being taken advantage of . . . . I?have told him to respect people. Be mannerly.”
Terry still has a social life, where “my neighbour will keep him if I have to go out, but I am a homebody. I like to be home. Sometimes I have so much to do that I basically hit the bed at nights.”
The dad said he believes in training up a child in the way it should grow and does wonder if sometimes he is “too strict” with Dominic to which Dominic replied, “no.”
All Terry wants for Dominic is a happy life, and even though it’s just the two of them “we have embraced it. Parents all have their little stress points but I wouldn’t give up being a father. He keeps me focused.”
