The Power of Snacks! A Little Magic to Nurture the Will to Try Your Best
"I'll make you a snack. Do your best!"
With those words, my eldest son was able to get on the kindergarten bus.
Perhaps snacks hold a little magic that draws out a child's "power to do their best."
The First Day of School and "I'll Make You a Snack"
On the morning my eldest son first rode the kindergarten bus to school,
I called out at the entrance, "I'll make you a snack. Do your best!"
I thought he might cry, but those words seemed to calm him down,
and he waved goodbye with a smile as he got on the bus.
From that day on, "snacks" became a "promise to do his best" for my eldest son.
🍠 Days of Making Snacks
Since then, preparing a simple snack every day became my routine.
That said, they weren't anything elaborate.
Steamed sweet potatoes, roasted sweet potatoes, and, if I tried a little harder, sweet potato yokan.
One year, it felt like days of a "sweet potato festival."
However, the next year he said, "I don't want sweet potato snacks anymore!" (laughs).
Those exchanges are now fond memories.
Even after becoming an elementary school student, "Is there a snack?" was the first thing he said when he got home.
Even now that he is an adult, my eldest son still loves snacks just as much.
Snacks Are "Love in Tangible Form"
It makes me realize again that the reasons children can do their best are all different.
For my eldest son, the snacks I made were "comfort," "something to look forward to," and
perhaps a sign that "Mom is waiting for me."
I attended a cake-making class for three years, so making snacks wasn't a burden for me, but
of course, there is no need to force yourself to make them.
Even if they aren't homemade, rice balls or sandwiches are perfectly fine snacks.
Going to buy snacks together and saying, "You can only pick 100 yen worth today," is also
a wonderful parent-child moment.
🌞 It Doesn't Have to Be Snacks
It's not limited to snacks; there are many ways to create "fun" for children.
・Playing together at the park
・Reading picture books
・Taking a nap together
・For working moms, creating "fun time" on days off
Any form is fine.
If a child can feel that "Mom is thinking about me,"
that is the greatest strength of all.
💕 Conclusion
Snacks are more than just food;
they are a gentle way to say, "I'm thinking of you."
I believe that becomes a little magic
that makes a child think, "I'll do my best today, too."
💬
What kind of "encouragement magic" do you have in your home?
I would love it if you could tell me in the comments.
Thank you for reading.