A night drive that taught me about my son's small growth

Hello,
this is agent-matsukura.

The other day, around 4:00 PM, I asked my eldest son, who had just returned from school, "I'm going to install some signs for work now, do you want to come along? We won't be back until around 9:00 PM, though..." He immediately replied, "I'll go! I can totally go!" As a father, I was very happy with that reaction. (My son, that reaction is wonderful! Thank you!)

Well, today I would like to talk a little bit about that chat I had with my eldest son.

A night drive and the fresh scenery of the town

It seemed like sitting in the passenger seat of the car was a rare experience for my eldest son, and he was very curious about the view, which was completely different from the scenery he usually sees from the back seat. As the car moved along, he seemed to be enjoying the fresh night scenery, saying things like, "I didn't know there was a building like this here," or "The town at night has a different atmosphere, doesn't it?"

When my eldest son asked me, "Did you learn the names of stations and places through your work?" and I replied, "Yes, that's right. Because of my job in real estate, I have many opportunities to learn them," he joined in by saying, "I know the stations too!" As a parent, it makes me happy to be able to share little bits of knowledge in everyday life like this.

Topics at school and the presence of teachers

When I brought up the topic, "How is school lately?" halfway through, my eldest son thought for a while and replied, "There's a scary teacher." When I asked, "Oh, what do they get angry about?" he told me, "They were yelling in a loud voice, but I think they were probably yelling at someone who was running in the hallway and being noisy."

Come to think of it, I also have memories of being scolded for running in the hallway when I was in elementary school. When I said, "They probably get angry because it's dangerous to run in the hallway, so it can't be helped that you get scolded," my eldest son also agreed, saying, "Well, that's true." Talking with my eldest son, I can see the parts of school that haven't changed and the parts that have, which is interesting.

Changes in the times and thoughts on corporal punishment

Furthermore, when I asked, "Are there any teachers who hit students?" my eldest son immediately replied, "They don't hit! It would be crazy if they were hitting!" I felt the changes in the times with that calm response, and I was impressed that my eldest son thinks about things quite seriously.

When I asked, "Is there any bullying, or do you ever not want to go to school?" he answered, "Not at all. Actually, I want to go to school even more." I was relieved to hear that he seems to be getting along well with his friends.

Exchange about studying

Furthermore, when I asked, "How about your studies?" my eldest son said, "Just a little bit, there are things I've never heard of, and at those times I think it's a learning experience." When I pressed him, "Hmm? So, does that mean classes are mostly boring?" he replied, "Hmm, well, they're somewhat difficult, but the teacher's stories are interesting, so I understand them."

Hearing those words, I thought, "Being able to think that the teacher's stories are interesting might be proof that my eldest son is developing his own ability to think." As a parent, it is a very happy moment to be able to feel that my eldest son is deepening his thoughts little by little through our parent-child conversations.

Growth nurtured by parent-child time

The time I spent with my eldest son that day was special. In between the work of installing signs, we were able to talk widely about everything from the town scenery and school life to topics about teachers and even future possibilities.

It was a day that made me think, "I also learn things anew from conversations with my eldest son." I want to continue to cherish a relationship where we can grow together through parent-child conversations.