[Daily Life of a Mom of Three Sisters] Learning from my daughter who calls it a 'good day' just because of art class, school lunch, and strawberries

I'm Kimi, a working mom raising three sisters.

Today, I want to write down something my eldest daughter said on an ordinary weekday night that has stayed with me.

"Today was a day full of good things."

She said this earnestly while we were in the bath.

When I asked her why, she said,

"Because we had my favorite art class."
"Because the school lunch menu was my favorite."
"Because I had fun playing [blank] with my friends after school."
"Because we had strawberries for dessert after dinner."

That was her answer.

Everything my daughter mentioned is not something a parent would consider "special."
But the fact that she can feel so deeply at the end of the day that it was a good day,
and that she can truly find happiness and satisfaction in the trivial things of daily life,
made me think, "I'm so glad she's growing up to think that way,"
and as a mother, it made me very happy, and it also made me realize that I want to be that way myself, and that I should be.

People like this have a very high level of happiness in life, don't they?

Aside: 'Chii-chan's Shadow Picture' and 'Barefoot Gen' that I picked up at the library

The other day, when I went to the library with my children,
while the kids were choosing books, I saw
"Chii-chan's Shadow Picture" and the picture book version of "Barefoot Gen"
in the picture book corner and flipped through them.
I realized that as an adult, I don't have many opportunities to see stories about war like this.

I had read them when I was a child, of course, but reading them after becoming a mother myself made my heart ache so much...
When I was a child, I certainly had the impression that war was painful, sad, and scary.
However, reading them while having my own children and family who actually exist,
it didn't feel like someone else's problem; I couldn't help but project myself and my family onto them,
and I had no choice but to empathize.

How miraculous and happy the casual daily life with my family is.
Just by looking at a few pages, I was made to feel that very keenly.

Overlapping with my eldest daughter's words, the feeling of "I want to live while savoring these casual days"
became even stronger.

When my children get a little older,
I definitely want to read them together and share our thoughts.

Today, too, I take a deep breath when I feel my anger rising.

In the midst of these busy, hectic days, I find myself scolding the children,
or letting my anger voltage rise until I lose perspective and snap at them.

But when I can remember my eldest daughter's words or those picture books,
I want to remind myself of the joy of having my family here,
and that the ordinary days we have are not something to be taken for granted.

I truly want to create the space for that.
I want to increase the number of times I take a deep breath or practice anger management, even if just by one.

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It feels like I'm growing, and yet not.
I make a vow in my heart, and though I can do it for a moment, I soon forget again.
This is a record of my daily struggles, especially regardinganger control and how I interact with my children.
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