Book Review (2) "So Much, So Much" by Shinsuke Yoshitake

A picture book my child wanted at the bookstore, so I bought it.

"So Much, So Much" by Shinsuke Yoshitake (2021, Poplar Publishing)

It depicts scenes that are common during child-rearing.
For example, a toy they wanted so much, but once bought, they are already bored with it.
At first, I read it laughing and thinking, "That's so true!" but...
From the part describing how the child who was once so small has already grown so big, tears started to well up.

And then, a scene from when we were mother and child in the past—an illustration of a mother smiling and holding her baby—made the tears flow and flow...

No matter how many times I read it, I cry.

The other day, I was just organizing photo data from when my child was a baby. Photos from eight years ago.
I felt regret, thinking I should have held them more, I should have cherished them with all my might more.

But I cannot time travel.
Today, if my child asks to be held, I will hold them, and I will treat my child with kindness. This is what I can do now.

I often hear the expression that today is the youngest you will be for the rest of your life.
For the rest of my life, my child today is the smallest they will ever be. If I look at photos of my child today a year from now, I will definitely feel nostalgic, thinking about how small they were.

To avoid regrets, I will do what I can today.