The day she shook my hand and said, 'Thank you, Mom,' I almost cried
The day of the results announcement.
I was more nervous than my daughter.
I kept checking my phone and looking at the clock.
I paced around the house, wondering, 'Is it time yet?'
I know that for a child's entrance exam, the student has it the hardest,
but parents can't help but feel restless, too.
Since starting middle school, my daughter
seemed busy every day with studying, club activities, and her friends.
Seeing her at her desk late into the night,
I would worry, 'Is she getting enough sleep?'
And seeing her C-grade on a mock exam,
I felt just as discouraged as she did.
People often say, 'Parents should just watch over them,' but
that is the hardest thing to do.
That was what I was thinking about.
At 10:00 AM, when the results were posted, my daughter looked at her phone,
and froze for a moment.
Then, the next instant.
'I passed!!!!'
She shouted that,
and started jumping around the living room.
She looked so incredibly happy,
I couldn't help but laugh.
I'm so happy for you, I'm really so happy for you.
Just as I was about to say that,
my daughter came up to me,
and held out her hand.
'Mom, thank you!'
She said that and shook my hand.
In that moment, my chest tightened and I almost cried.
I hadn't done anything special.
I made her lunches,
sent her off,
and just told her, 'You'll be fine.'
Even so,
my daughter said, 'Thank you.'
'Thank you, too.'
While holding back my tears,
I did my best to reply with a trembling voice.
I put all my strength and feelings into the handshake.
Raising a child
is full of things where you don't know the right answer.
Did I do the right thing?
Should I have said that back then?
I've thought about things like that so many times.
But that day,
seeing my daughter jumping with joy, I thought,
Ah, we both really did our best.
Both her and me.
Perhaps raising a child is meant for moments like this.
It was an unforgettable day that made me feel that way.