A story about watching a Toyota commercial (father and daughter) in the middle of the night and getting teary-eyed

Recently, after putting my daughter to sleep, I was scrolling through Instagram in the middle of the night when a video suddenly popped up.

It was the Toyota commercial 'Father and Daughter.'
It seems to be a video released about 10 years ago, and I remember seeing it back then too.
Since Father's Day was approaching, someone had uploaded it.

I feel like I thought it was a 'nice video' back then, too.

But that was where it ended.
Watching it again now that I'm a parent, it felt completely different.

Even though it's only a few minutes long, halfway through, I started feeling an indescribable emotion while watching the screen.

It was a dangerous video to watch alone in the middle of the night, as it made me uncontrollably teary-eyed.

I probably wouldn't have understood before becoming a parent

Before I became a parent, I only saw children growing up as something bright and positive.

They can do more things.
Their world expands.
They become able to make their own choices.

That is, of course, a wonderful thing.

But since becoming a parent, I've come to realize that there is another feeling mixed in there as well.

As children become capable of doing more, the parent's role gradually decreases.

The time spent holding hands.
The time spent being asked to be carried.
The time spent being called to 'come with me.'

The fact that the present, which seems to continue as a matter of course, will not continue in the same form forever.
Even if I understand it in my head, it's something I usually try not to think about.
This video shows those feelings without putting them into overly dramatic words.

Watching over them is not the same as doing nothing

While children are small, there are many things parents can do for them.

Watching to make sure they aren't in danger.
Carrying them if they look sleepy.
Helping them if they are in trouble.
Deciding when to go home.
Deciding where to go.

But as children grow, the things parents can do for them decrease more and more.
Perhaps, in fact, the time spent just watching over them without being able to do anything increases.

That is a lonely thing, but it is also proof that the child is walking their own path in life.

Watching this video, I realized that a parent's love is not just about doing big things for them.

Caring for someone in ways they don't even notice.
Watching over them quietly, without saying a word.
Being there when you are needed.

Perhaps those are the things that gradually get through to someone over time.

The time I have with my daughter now will also come to an end someday

My daughter is still small, and before she goes to sleep, she calls out, 'Daddy, come here.'
Sometimes she holds my hand when we're out, and if she's tired, she asks to be carried.
Honestly, there are days when I don't have the patience.

There are days when I just want her to go to sleep quickly.
There are days when I want some time to myself.
There are days when, after being called over and over, I end up saying, 'I'll be there in a minute.'

But after watching this video, that 'I'll be there in a minute' feels heavy.

Someday, the day will come when I won't be called anymore.
The day will come when I won't be told, 'Daddy, come here.'

That might still be a long way off.
But I'm sure it won't happen all of a sudden; I think it will change quietly, little by little, in our everyday lives.

A video I really want parents to watch

This video is a story about a father and his daughter.
But I don't think it's just a story about a father.

It's for mothers, too.
For anyone raising children.
For anyone who remembers what it was like to be a child themselves.

I'm sure it will strike a chord with everyone in different ways.

When I saw it a long time ago, my only impression was that it was a 'nice commercial,' but now, it has become a video that makes me think about how limited our time with our children is, and how parents have to let go little by little.

I don't want to give any spoilers, so I'll stop here.

For those who haven't seen it yet.
And for those who have seen it before.

Now that you've become a parent, I want you to watch it again.

You will probably be looking at the screen with different feelings than you did 10 years ago.

When I realized it, my daughter was fast asleep, breathing softly.

Watching her sleeping face, I thought about how I had rushed her again today.
I thought about how I should have listened to her more properly.