#Parenting Diary: A 5-year-old struggling with first-person pronouns.

It started with a sudden request for advice.

Daughter
"I don't want to say 'watashi' (I)..."

Mom
???

It was so sudden that I just listened for now.

Daughter
"I've been calling myself '●●-chan' (my name), but I'm thinking of stopping."

Oh wow, isn't this an important conversation?!

Mom hides her grinning mouth while drinking coffee.

Mom
I see. 😊 Some kids say 'uchi' (I/me) too, you know.

Daughter
"I don't like 'uchi' either."

Oh... I see.

At five years old, she's lost when it comes to first-person pronouns.

Mom
I wonder what other ones there are.

After thinking for a bit,

Mom
How about 'washi' (I)?
You use that with Grandpa, saying 'Washi wa na' (I am), right?

I said it jokingly.

Daughter
"That's not it."

Straight-faced. A clean cut.

Apparently, joking around wasn't the right move. 😂 Failure

Mom
Mom says 'watashi' (I).
It's a word that both men and women use.

Also, some people say 'jibun' (myself/I).

Daughter
"Oh, I see..."

After thinking for a bit,

Daughter: "I don't like 'kawaii' (cute)... 'Watashi' (I) feels embarrassing, you know."

My daughter's genuine dilemma.

So cute.

Daughter: "Hmm..."

A 5-year-old worrying seriously.

Daughter: "I've decided to use 'watashi' at kindergarten."

Oh...!!!

She has finally started to become aware of her 'outside self'.

Daughter: "But I won't say it at home!"

Mom: "I see, I see. 😊 Why don't you try using it!"

"I hope you find one that's easy for you to say, sweetie."

Until now, she naturally said,

"[Name] does this~ 😊"

but,

after listening to how her friends around her speak,

she started thinking about

"how I want to speak myself,"

and when I think about that,

I felt a sense of growth. Kids suddenly have conversations that make you feel their 'emotional growth', don't they? 😊

As a mother, "I"

I wonder if they're already using "I" at kindergarten?
I'd love to ask.
It would be absolutely adorable.

My inner voice is screaming that,
but I'm in a dilemma where I have to stay silent. (lol)