"Dad, it's okay if work is hard. I can go to school tomorrow"—a job with no replacement and the conflict of being a father.

The true meaning of "family first."

Yesterday, on Sunday.

My daughter fell and hit her face and the back of her head hard.

We rushed to the hospital, and fortunately, there was no major damage to her brain or anything else, but since she hit her head, we have to keep an eye on her for a few days.

Besides, she is a girl.
She had painful-looking wounds on her face, and in her heart, she definitely didn't want to go to school.

As a parent, I want to be by her side.

I want to let her rest slowly for a day next to me while she is in pain and anxious.

I truly thought so.

But I could not choose to "take a day off."

I currently run a nursing taxi and non-insurance services on my own.

There is no one to replace me. If I take a day off, the lives of the customers who rely on me today will come to a halt.

And at the same time, if I take a day off, my income for that day will be completely zero.

"I want to rest. But I have to go to work."

Seeing me torn apart by the conflict, my daughter, who should have been in the most pain from her injuries, said this to me:

"Dad, it's okay if work is hard. I can go to school tomorrow."

The moment I heard those words, I couldn't stop my tears.

I made my daughter, who was in pain, scared, and should have been wanting to lean on me the most, worry about me because of my own circumstances.

Why couldn't I say without hesitation, "You don't have to push yourself, I'll be by your side the whole time"?

What did I become independent for?

I had decided to earn a living with my own skills to make my family happy.

And yet, when the family I hold most dear is hurting, I cannot even be by their side.

I found myself not knowing what on earth I was working for anymore.

People often say, "A man should take responsibility for his work," or "The mother should be the one to nurse the children."

Perhaps, as a father, my worrying like this and weighing work against family while crying might be seen as "unmanly" or "disgusting."

But this is the "painfully raw reality" of a person who carries a business on their own shoulders, and of a father.

Today, while gripping the steering wheel, I remembered my daughter's words over and over again.

And after those tears, a single, clear "answer" emerged within me.

"If you say family comes first, then working and earning money is the most important thing."

"If you don't have money, the children will end up suffering as a result."

Some people might say that.

Certainly, money and work are important. They are necessary to live.

But that was not the "answer."

From now on, I vow to live with "family first," no matter what happens.

However, what I mean by "family first" is not conforming to society's common sense, nor is it me alone assuming it's "for the sake of the family" and rushing ahead in a self-righteous way.

It means consulting thoroughly with my wife and daughter, and "prioritizing with all my might what the two of them want most right now."

If my daughter wishes, "I want Dad to be by my side today," I will take the day off work without hesitation.

If my wife wishes, "I want you to work because we need money for the future right now," I will prioritize work even if I have to crawl to do it.

If my child says, "I want to play with Dad to my heart's content," I will prioritize time to play above all else, and

if my wife says, "I want some time alone to rest my mind," I will take on everything and make it my top priority to create time for her to be alone.

I don't care anymore about what society calls a "man's responsibility" or what is "expected."

The "raw voices" of my wife and daughter right in front of me are the standard for all my future actions.

I will never forget those words my daughter said while trying to be considerate despite her pain, nor the meaning of the tears I shed at that moment.

With the true meaning of "family first" engraved in my heart, I will take the wheel again starting today.

If you resonate with this article, your support through a tip would be truly encouraging.
The money received will be used for my daughter's favorite snacks, picture books, and funds to create time with my family.
Your support pushes me forward for tomorrow!