Born from a Drawing She Struggled With! "Niko-Niko-Chan" That Nurtures My Daughter's Confidence [Raising a Child with Developmental Disabilities]

Hello, I'm Papao.

Today, I'd like to talk a little bit about this character who appears in the header images of my articles and elsewhere.

This character was drawn by my daughter, and her name is "Niko-Niko-Chan" (Smiley Girl).

▼ My daughter's disability and Niko-Niko-Chan

My daughter has a mild intellectual disability and a developmental disability.

"Developmental disability" means that compared to people without one, while some areas may show noticeable struggles, other areas may be better than average. This large gap between strengths and weaknesses is sometimes called "developmental unevenness."

When this gap is large, it's easy for difficulties to arise in daily life, and in my daughter's case, she particularly struggled with "drawing."

During the tests she took between the ages of 5 and 6, she was assessed at a "3-year-old level." Even in the third grade, she still couldn't draw a human figure with a torso.

Even when the children around her drew pictures of their families or characters like Precure, my daughter could only draw a round face with eyes and a mouth, and limbs sprouting directly from the face.

Eventually, my daughter came to dislike drawing and stopped doing it altogether.

Many people feel that human happiness is relative. My daughter likely felt the difference between what she could and couldn't do compared to those around her, and decided she couldn't do it herself.

Then, one day, she suddenly drew this "Niko-Niko-Chan."

▼ The birth of Niko-Niko-Chan

When she was in the first grade, it seems she drew it in her free-drawing notebook in her school class (special needs class).

I happened to see it while getting her ready, and I asked her: "What is this little one? She's so cute! What's her name?"

"...Niko-Niko-Chan."

I praised my daughter a lot. She didn't tell me what she was feeling when she drew it, but I was just happy that she had drawn something again and that she was actually trying little by little at something she struggled with.

There were others drawn as well, and Mom's favorite is the "Normal Squid" below.

It's a "normal" squid, but for some reason, it looks grumpy. My daughter hasn't told us what the intention behind it was.

▼Overjoyed to have it on a T-shirt

Since both of these illustrations were so cute, I digitized them on my PC and made some minor adjustments while having my daughter look at them.

Then, I thought that with suzuri, I could turn them into various goods without any special initial costs, so I registered the data for this "Ordinary Squid" and "Niko-Niko-Chan" and made T-shirts.

When they arrived, my daughter was overjoyed!

She was so happy that the picture she drew had color added to it and that it arrived in her hands as a piece of merchandise she could wear.

▼My daughter since then

From then on, my daughter started drawing pictures little by little.

For example, "Niko-Niko-Chan," which she created herself, draws a picture of a rainy day. I tidy it up.

I turn it into data while confirming with my daughter if the colors and angles are okay.

Niko-Niko-Chan is my daughter's "child" that we are raising together.

I think this child leads to my daughter's "I did it!" regarding her drawings and her confidence in what she has accomplished—or perhaps it is the "confidence" of raising it like a child.

Together with my daughter who has a disability.
This Niko-Niko-Chan became the beginning of our days of expanding what she can do.

Expanding my daughter's "I did it!" into everyone's "I did it!".
I hope the smile of Niko-Niko-Chan will be the trigger for taking that first step.

If there is a child who is always smiling by your side, it makes you feel a little warm inside, doesn't it?
We would be happy if Niko-Niko-Chan's smile could be that kind of presence for you all, or help bring a smile to your face.

I hope this article leads to everyone's "I did it!"!
If you'd like, I'd be happy if you could support us with a like, follow, or comment.

May tomorrow be another good day.

▼Sales on suzuri

Niko-Niko-Chan and Ordinary Squid are registered on suzuri.
Thankfully, we have even had a few purchases from people other than our family. If you'd like, I would be happy if you could take a look!

※Autumn BIG sale is being held on suzuri!
Each item is discounted by up to 1,000 yen, such as 1,000 yen off T-shirts.
The period is from 9/26 to 10/5. May it support your smile♡

We have set our profit at 200 yen per item, so it is sold at almost cost (suzuri's selling price).

The proceeds from your purchase will go toward my daughter's confidence and snack money!

You can purchase (or download for free) using your Amazon account without registering for a suzuri account, so I would be happy if you could take a look♡
Thank you for your support.