Year-End and New Year's with my 4-year-old daughter with Down syndrome Part 1

2026.
It has begun.

Thank you‼️Σ(ﾟдﾟ；)

……Once again,
🎍Happy New Year🎍

Well then.

December 29th.
We traveled to G Prefecture, where my parents live, and our year-end and New Year's holidays began.
Right in front of my parents' house is a small park.

And—
There was a slide there.
My daughter, no matter what, wanted to play on the slide‼️

As soon as we arrived at my parents' house, she dashed to the park, ignoring all greetings🏃‍♀️💨
……It was impossible to drag her back💦

We managed to get her back to the house, and she hugged them while chanting "Grandpa" and "Grandma."
—Or so I thought.

Next, she grabbed her dad and pulled him with all her might, saying, "Take me to the park"💦

Since my younger sister was also coming home, we decided to go pick her up at the station.
Taking my daughter with us🚗💨

Actually, this was her first time seeing a train right in front of her.

The moment the train arrived—
“Whoa~Σ(ﾟﾛﾟ”‼️”



She reacted with her whole body, showing surprise and joy.
……It was quite entertainingꉂ🤣𐤔

With all that, she was tired from the first day and slept like a log at night😴

Changing the subject a little……
As expected of a place rich in nature.

At night, it goes beyond cold to freezing‼️🥶
As usual, when I put a plastic bottle and a canned beer on the balcony……

An hour later, it was half-frozen.
The result—

The beer was delicious‼️🍺
ꉂ🤣𐤔

If you leave it until morning, it's rock solid.
The theory that you don't need a refrigerator in winter.
A natural refrigerator?

A natural freezer?
……Either one is fineꉂ🤣𐤔

Is this a common occurrence when returning home❓

When I return to K Prefecture from G Prefecture and hear people say, "It's cold, it's cold,"

I go, "HuhΣ(ﾟдﾟ；)!?"
This feeling never changes every timeꉂ🤣𐤔
And something I always think.

G Prefecture doesn't have the ocean, but……



When I return to K Prefecture, the rivers and the sea just look like sewage to me...

(I'm sorry to those who might be offended.

But…… it's the realityꉂ🤣𐤔)

Here, I suddenly realized something

Looking back like this, the year-end and New Year's holidays are truly hectic.
Traveling, greeting people, finishing errands, and feeling like I "have to do things properly."

But my daughter—
She doesn't care about such adult conveniences.
The moment she arrived, she just wanted to play on the slide.

Seeing the train, she was surprised with all her might and rejoiced with all her might.
Regardless of the cold, the travel, or the schedule, she is just living in the "now."

Adults tend to want to give meaning to the year-end and New Year's holidays, like milestones or turning points……
But for my daughter, today is just today.

And that is enough.
Even if you can't start anything, even if you don't have grand goals, it's fine as long as you have "fun" and "joy."

With just one slide, with just one train, the world shines brightly.
It was a year-end and New Year's holiday where my 4-year-old daughter taught me such an obvious and important thing.

Finally

Thank you for reading this far.
This essay is not meant to write about the "correct" way to raise a child, nor is it a story about trying to be a perfect parent.

If you can just laugh a little, relax your shoulders, and think, "Well, that's okay"—
that is enough.
If you felt, "I get that" or "We have similar things happen at our house," I would be happy if you could press the Like button♥️.

If you follow me, I will deliver more stories about the year-end and New Year's holidays and small daily realizations.
Comments are also very welcome.
Please tell me your "common occurrences when returning home"😊