4. Happiness, loneliness, and reassurance.

Hello. This is fuku.

Today, I'd like to share something about raising children.

The other day, there was a three-way parent-teacher conference for my eldest son, who is in junior high school.
During the conference period, students have the whole day off, so when the time came, my child and I headed to school from home.
On this day too, with a light rain falling, I walked to school with my eldest son.
On the way, my eldest son kept talking about things he doesn't usually talk about at home, like which way is the shortcut and which path to take if we're about to be late.
He has always been a talkative child, and he usually tells me about his friends and club activities.
I was a little worried that he wouldn't talk to me as much once he became a junior high student, but that worry was unnecessary (lol).

When the conference ended, my eldest son went straight to his club activities, and I headed home.
As we were walking together after leaving the school building, my son saw a senior from his club in the distance and...
He ran toward the senior, saying, "It's [Name]!"
As a parent, I am very happy that he has a senior he looks up to, but I felt a sense of loneliness as I watched him run off toward that senior...
I felt deeply that this is how he will gradually drift away from his parents.

"Keep your eyes off the youth, but do not take your heart off them."

...How do you do that?? (lol)
I'm sure the children will teach us that.
In order to raise children in a world that is completely different from when I was a child, I feel like we adults are being raised by our children.
He is taller than me now, carries heavy bags when we go shopping, and looks up and teaches me things I don't know.
Isn't that reassuring, junior high student?
I'm counting on you, junior high student.

He is right in the middle of puberty.
Finding the right distance—not too close, not too far—is difficult, but
I decided that I would not forget to just watch over him.