The words I wish someone had said to me back then

An ordinary night on my way home from work.

I was wandering around my usual neighborhood to run a few errands.

Then, I noticed the loud crying of a baby echoing through the quiet night air.

"Huh? That's rare around here lately."

As the crying got a little closer, I saw a mother walking by, trying her best to soothe the baby she was holding.

The mother was walking along, gently saying to the crying baby, "You're sleepy, aren't you?"

Seeing that, I thought to myself, "She's amazing."

After all, back when I was in her shoes, I didn't have the luxury of being able to say such gentle words.

"Please stop crying already."

I feel like I used to get even more frustrated with myself for having those kinds of thoughts.

As I watched the mother walking and speaking so gently, my memories were suddenly pulled back to that time.

Come to think of it, I had times like that too.

No matter what I did, my child wouldn't stop crying, and I didn't know what to do.

When I was inside the house, I would be overwhelmed by the crying and my own sense of panic, so I would pace back and forth in front of the house over and over again in the cold night air.

Am I being a nuisance?

Is someone watching me?

I have to get them to stop crying quickly.

I was only thinking about negative things, and I had no room left in my heart.

While I was thinking about such things, before I knew it, I had instinctively called out to that mother as she passed by.

Go ahead and cry, little one. I hope you can get to sleep soon.

It was a dark night, so I don't think she could see my expression.

But that is exactly why I tried to smile as much as I could. I wanted to make sure my voice sounded gentle.

Not saying, "This must be hard for you,"

or, "You need to get them to stop crying,"

but simply, for both the baby and the mother,

saying, "It's okay."

"Babies are just meant to cry, aren't they?"

I said it with those feelings in my heart.

That mom greeted me with a "Good evening," but after she passed by, I suddenly felt worried.

"Was that overstepping my bounds?"

"Did it sound like I was being sarcastic?"

Those thoughts kept spinning around in my head.

But, what if those words helped that mom relax her shoulders just a little bit?

Even if it wasn't "Let's do our best today,"

"Maybe I can do a little bit more"

If it became a moment where she could think that.

I would be happy if the words I sent off into the night air ended up warming someone's heart somewhere, even just a little.

And to everyone raising children across the country,
if a strange person suddenly talks to you, please look upon them with kindness 😅

A baby's job is to cry.

But mothers and fathers are there to receive those cries every single day.

Perhaps, through that mom, I was trying to tell my younger self—who was desperate and had no room to breathe—that "it's going to be okay."

By the way, it seems there are also ways to deal with nighttime crying like this 🤭

Parenting isn't just about the hard times; it can also become a memory you can laugh about like this 😊

It made me smile while reading it, so I would love to share it with you.