Without me realizing it, they had grown up properly.

It happened during Golden Week.
With no plans to go out and the children lounging around,
I decided to ask them for a favor I don't usually ask,
hoping they could be of some help.
“Second son, could you get the vacuum cleaner out for me?”
“Sure!”
Since I got an OK response,
it seems he knows where the vacuum cleaner is kept.
After all, the “vacuum cleaner” I refer to
is the so-called corded type,
and I am almost the only one in the family who uses it.
What the children and my husband use is the cordless vacuum
kept next to the dining room.
But as for me...
when cleaning the whole room, I still can't let go of
the suction power of the corded one,
so I go out of my way to take it out of the storage room to use it.
─────
“Well, the kitchen is tidied up, so I'll vacuum.”
Thinking that, I suddenly shifted my gaze into the room,
and there was the vacuum cleaner standing in the middle of the living room.

And even though it was tilted slightly,
it looked like it was about to fall but didn't.
Wondering about it, I went to look at the vacuum cleaner,
and to my surprise, there was a slot on the back
to secure the hose, and the hose was properly fixed in place.

Embarrassingly, I had lived my life until now
completely unaware of such a feature.
It was quite a shock.
"My second son, I didn't know you knew
how to put the vacuum away like that!"
When I said that,
"Eh, isn't that normal? Isn't that how
most vacuums are?"
he replied, sounding just like a housewife who uses a corded vacuum to clean every day.
"No, no, what are you talking about?
You've never even touched a vacuum
before, have you?"
I held back the urge to say that,
"Wow. Mom never even knew that was attached until now!
Where did you learn that, my second son?"
I asked.
Then,
"At after-school care."
my second son said.
Ah, I see!! After-school care has cleaning duties, doesn't it! And since there are tatami rooms, they must have been using vacuums to clean!!
My second son was in after-school care for four years, but I never knew about that at all.
He was learning things at after-school care that he didn't experience at nursery school or elementary school.
Because it's a group environment, there were many rules at after-school care, and he probably felt restricted at times.
However, at after-school care, where children range from lower to upper grades, they spend time together with friends of different ages.
While being taught by older children and teaching younger children.
Learning things necessary for daily life, like cleaning, in order to become independent.
There were so many things that they were able to experience
because they were in after-school care.
Since they said "I don't want to go" every morning,
I feel like I ended up only focusing on the negatives
before I knew it.
Thank you for letting them do things
that I hadn't even taught them at home.
Thank you very much.
Now, more than a year after they stopped going to after-school care,
that is what I thought.
──────
My second son was overjoyed
that he knew something
that his mother didn't.
"What~!? You don't even know that~?🥴"
It goes without saying that he smugly
teased his mother.

Did you all know that vacuum cleaners can stand on their own?🫣
By the way, the vacuum cleaner
we use at home is this one👇
What I look for in a corded vacuum cleaner
is [lightness]!!
Assuming it has suction power, of course,
I've realized with this second vacuum cleaner that being lightweight and compact is the most important thing😊
The first one was also a Panasonic, but
it was heavy because it had so many functions💦
And what I look for in a cordless vacuum cleaner
is [suction power]!!
The first cordless one had such weak suction...
The dirt I thought I had vacuumed would fall back onto the floor, which was very
stressful😑
I'm satisfied with the suction power of this second one, and I like that it has a light, making it easy to see dirt on the floor✨

#ParentingEssay #Parenting #Childrearing
#AfterSchoolCare #ElementarySchoolBoy #WorkingMom
#ADHD #ASD #DevelopmentalGrayArea
#ElementarySchoolMom #ParentAndChild
#HonestThoughtsOfAFormerChildcareWorkerMom
#DaysFacingTheDifficultyOfRaisingChildren
#ParentingWithoutTryingTooHard
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