Energy-Efficient Parenting for Single Mothers | The Ups and Downs of a Single Mom in Her 40s

Hello.
I'm Yu, a woman with nothing but room to grow.

As a single mother, I have almost finished raising my children.
I may seem a bit scatterbrained, but I do have a sort of parenting policy.

I don't get angry at my children very often.
People sometimes say I'm too kind or too lenient, but there is actually a reason for that.

Let me be blunt and confess.

"I don't have the energy for it."

Getting angry takes a tremendous amount of energy, doesn't it?

Being a single mother is a test of physical endurance.
Work, housework, and childcare—I do it all alone.

So, I want to save energy whenever I can.

Sorry it's not a more profound reason. Haha.

However, that doesn't mean I forgive everything.

There are times when I do get angry, and I mean it.

That is when

• I know my child will have a hard time in the future

• they say or do something that inconveniences others

For example, if my child is repeatedly late or doesn't meet deadlines for assignments.
I get seriously angry.

Because it's obvious they will struggle in the future.

I also get angry if they do something to hurt their friends or make a ruckus in the middle of the night.

When I get seriously angry, I don't yell.
I quietly explain why it's wrong and what the problem is.

However, when I'm stressed, I sometimes end up getting angry over things that don't really matter.

My children, now that they are grown, nag me about it.

Like how I suddenly snapped that one time, or something like that. Lol

Parents are human, after all.
Of course, there are times when we get frustrated and lose our cool.

By the way, apparently I start speaking in Hiroshima dialect when I lose my temper.

“Cut it out alreadyyyyyyy!!”

Other than that, I’m basically just drifting along.
Please feel free to take a look at my incompetence, for which I even get scolded by my own child.

I forgot to mention something important.

As a mother, I’m basically cold toward my kids.
This is also for energy conservation.

Even as I write this now, my son has started a solo karaoke session.
Ignoring it.

He seems to be looking for a reaction.
Ignoring it.

He’s looking over here and grinning at me.
Ignoring it.

Grow up to be strong.

Well then, that’s all for this time.

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▼ This is the kind of woman who wrote this note ▼