Five Sisters, "Who Should I Go Out With Today?"

Our home with five sisters.

When I think about going out somewhere,

the first thing I think about isn't the destination, but...

"Who should I take with me today?"

The best thing is to go out with the whole family.

But,
there's school,
there's kindergarten,
and there are vaccinations and checkups.

Days when all seven of us can move together are surprisingly rare.

So, the combination changes depending on the day.

The eldest daughter and the fifth daughter.
If the eldest is with me,
she can carry the fifth daughter a little.

The second daughter and the third daughter.
With these two,
they almost never ask to be carried even if they get tired of walking.

Sometimes just one of them.

And so on.

At first,

"I have to take everyone."

I used to think that.

But with five of them, there are days when that's difficult.

So,

"Today is time for this child."

That's how I've come to think about it.

Strangely enough,
the scenery I see changes when the combination changes.

With the eldest daughter, we talk about school.

With the second daughter, we talk about what happened at kindergarten.

With the third daughter, we talk about our favorite games.

With the fourth daughter, it's the time spent walking hand in hand.

With the fifth daughter, it's the view I see while holding her.

Even if we go to the same shop or the same park,

just by having a different child with me,
the conversation and the way we spend our time change.

And when we get home,

"What did you do?"

the other sisters ask.

Watching that,
I think that one-on-one time isn't so bad once in a while.

Even though I cherish all five of them equally,
it is difficult to spend the same amount of time with each.

That is precisely why I want to treasure the time spent in a combination unique to that day.

The time spent in that combination,
I believe, is surely only for now.

Thank you for reading this far.

In your home,
do you have time to go out one-on-one with your children?

If there is a moment where you thought, "This kind of time is nice too," please do let me know.