Even adults want to be praised.

Children are praised just for standing up.

Applause for taking a step.
Applause for eating a meal.
When they sleep, they are told, 'You slept well.'

It is an amazing world.

Just by being alive, those around them notice their growth.

I am Nao,
the type who basically grows when praised.
My basic stance as a parent is also to praise and help them grow.

When you become an adult, the number of times you are praised drops drastically.

Wake up in the morning.
Do your work.
Prepare meals.
Do farm work.
Hang out the laundry.
Make payments.
Pay insurance premiums.
Pay pension contributions.
Pay taxes.

Even so, it is basically just business as usual.

No one applauds for you.

'You were able to pay your resident tax well again today'

is not something you are told.

'It's great that you were able to hang out the laundry'

is also not something you are told.

I want to be told.

I really want to be told.
I want to be praised.

Watching children reminds me of the importance of being praised.

Things you couldn't do, you become able to do.
I watch that growth with wide eyes, and my eyes well up.

Moving a little further ahead than yesterday.
Someone notices that.
And they tell you that you are amazing.
Perhaps humans can move a little further ahead just because of that.

But when you become an adult, the number of things that are expected of you increases.

Working is expected.
Paying is expected.
Cleaning up is expected.
Enduring is expected.
Being on time is expected.

The more things that are expected, the less people are praised.

But, in reality, it is not a given.

Waking up in the morning.
Working.
Thinking about family.
Managing daily life.

All of it is actually quite difficult.

Especially when you reach your 40s, you find yourself juggling many things at once.

Work.
Household finances.
Child-rearing.
Taking care of parents.
Community responsibilities.
The subtle ailments of your own body.
And, for some reason, the ever-increasing nameless chores.

You lose things.
You get tired easily.
If your joints hurt, you're naturally in a bad mood.

But, even so, you somehow manage to keep each day going.

Doesn't this deserve a little more praise?

Perhaps when you become an adult, just waiting for someone else to praise you isn't enough.

That is why I praise myself a little.

I woke up today.
I worked today.
I managed my daily life today.
I somehow protected my family today.

It doesn't have to be a flashy achievement.
It doesn't have to be visible growth.
An adult's daily life is made up of small accomplishments that go unapplauded.

While praising my child, I suddenly think.
In truth, adults deserve to be praised a little more, too.

So, at the end of the day, for the parts that no one else acknowledged, I intend to say it quietly to myself.

Well done, me.

I will somehow live through today so that I can say those words in the morning.

Even adults want to be praised.

And now, as I finish writing this article, I feel a little embarrassed, wondering what I am writing about at my age of 42.