I envy that guy - Kejimine Family Observation Diary 5 -

Every morning, there is a war.

“Put on a long-sleeved shirt.”
“No.”

That is all.

My son (1st grade, ADHD) tries to go to school in short sleeves and shorts even in winter.

It seems to be the opposite of sensory hypersensitivity.
In any case, he hates anything tight.
He hates tags, too. He hates thickness, too.

For this child, long sleeves might be close to a punishment.

But he will catch a cold.
That is a problem.

Mainly for us, the ones who have to nurse him.

One day, I came up with a strategy.

Let's at least get him to wear long pants.

I managed to persuade him, and it was a success.

Good.

…or so I thought, when a report came in from a spy.

The spy is my 6th-grade daughter.
She goes to school with him every morning.
She sees everything.

“Hey, Dad. That kid, he’s wearing shorts under his long pants. He took them off when he got to school.”

Long pants on top.
Shorts underneath.

He takes off the long pants when he arrives at school.

It was calculated.

It was the same for the long sleeves.

“He took them off when he got there.”

The spy's report is accurate.

The other day, I was walking down the street with my son.

An elementary school boy in short sleeves and shorts was walking toward us.

My son was wearing long pants that day because I had forced him to.

My son muttered,

"...I envy that boy."

With a sad face.
Truly, he looked so sad.

I thought to myself that I didn't know he could make a face like that.

I thought about it for a while.

Maybe I should let him go in short sleeves and shorts next winter.

However, the biggest hurdle is what Mom will say.

From South Korea, living in Japan for 16 years.
I somehow drifted here and became a father.

My older daughter is relatively calm.
My younger son is a bit intense every day.

#ADHDparenting #developmentaldisorder #elementaryschoolstudent #parentingessay #dadparenting