Those Two Steps Were No Accident

Those two steps were no accident

Facing even the things they cannot do head-on.
I have been watching that small back for a long time.

That day, my younger grandson—
took two steps.

Just two steps.

But the moment those tiny feet moved forward,
my chest tightened,

and I caught my breath in surprise.
While recording a video,
a quiet, trembling emotion welled up inside me,

thinking, 'Oh, I was able to witness this moment.'

The day before yesterday, I went to support my son's family.



My younger grandson, who has a cold, was glued to his dad.
I went to the park with his mom and my older granddaughter.

Every time we go to the park,
I can clearly see their growth.

Things they couldn't do a week ago,
they can already do now.

The way they lie on their stomachs
and slide down the slide with gusto.

The way they fearlessly, boldly, and lightly cross the athletic rope bridge
while holding their mom's hand.
The way they jump with joy
after crossing it, saying, 'I did it, I did it!'
And then, when they find the low rope around the flower bed...
Like a real tightrope walker,

while holding both of their mom's hands,

they slowly move sideways like a crab.
(Wait, I've never seen anyone do that before...)
I am always surprised and moved
by the way they take on new challenges one after another.

The attitude of challenging things they cannot do.
The way they challenge things no one has ever done before.
It is also surprising that they do it all just for the fun of it.
As if to say they want to try that next,

they watched intently and carefully
as the older girls crossed the monkey bars
one after another.
And then,

they crawled under the athletic equipment they had just crossed,
grabbed the rope tightly,
and hung there for a while.
They want to try crossing like the monkey bars next.
That spirit of challenge, filling their small bodies,
was certainly felt right there.

When we got home,
it was Anpanman bakery pretend play.
They skillfully picked up bread with tongs,
put it in a bag,
and even added an extra piece of bread, saying, 'Here you go.'
And then,

they even guided me to the right spot to operate the smartphone
so I could pay.
The bath, which they used to cry while entering until just recently,
is now a long soak that even makes their mom worry.

I was also surprised that they had learned to take off all their clothes by themselves.
And they played in the water with their dad happily for a long time.

Things they couldn't do are increasing one by one as they learn to do them.
It is truly a happy and reliable thing.
That evening.
My younger grandson stood up,

looked at me—
and took two steps.
That step was not a sudden event,
but a big moment that came after days of small challenges and accumulation.

And suddenly,
I remembered the days when my daughter, my son, and my older granddaughter
first walked.
When it was my own children, I was busy working full-time with overtime, and I had no room to spare,
but now, I can watch my grandchildren's growth step by step,

burn those precious moments into my memory,
and carefully share stories with their mom about when the grandchildren and my son were little.
How happy and grateful I am.

Those two steps were no accident.

They are a huge, huge gift
from these little people who keep on challenging themselves.

Every time I meet them, every time I see them in photos or videos,

I am always given courage, energy, smiles,
a reason to live,
and so much happiness that words cannot describe.
Thank you so much for being born.

Mom, thank you so much for giving birth to these grandchildren.
Thank you for the happiness you bring to everyone.

#RecordOfGrowth
#SmallChallenges
#LifeWithGrandchildren
#FamilyTime

#Parenting
#ThingsLearnedFromChildren
#Family
#TodaysRealization
#SmallHappiness