I want a flower mark.

Thank you for coming to see my post again today.

The other day, my second son happily opened his kanji notebook to show me.

"Mom! I got a flower mark today!"

He was so proud that his nostrils were flaring.

Perhaps because my second son finds studying a chore and does it sloppily, he doesn't often get flower marks from his teacher when he submits his homework.
However, the kanji homework he submitted that day had been practiced more carefully than usual.

Having his efforts recognized by someone else made my second son very happy with the rare flower mark, and he even showed it off to my husband when he came home later.

Seeing my second son like that, I had a thought.

Getting a flower mark is something I'm a little envious of.
When do adults get flower marks?

When you become an adult, opportunities to be praised by others decrease.
When working, there are times when I am occasionally praised with words.
But,it almost never takes a visible, tangible form like a flower mark.

It's nice that children can get flower marks when they do their best.
I want a flower mark once in a while.
I want to be able to rejoice innocently like a child.

But, since I never get them from others...

That's it.
Why don't I just give myself a flower mark?

For example, when someone tells me the food I made is delicious.
When I add mopping to my usual vacuuming routine.
When work goes smoothly and I finish my tasks earlier than planned.
When I manage to keep up with exercise for a week.

The criteria for giving a flower mark can be whatever you want.
If you feel like you "tried harder than usual" or "did better than usual," it's okay to give yourself a flower mark.

Seeing my child's flower mark gave me the idea that it would be nice to praise myself like that and keep my own spirits up.

My own nostrils might have been flaring with joy as I thought of that, too.

Thank you for reading this far.

#66DayWritingChallenge
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