The 'Hold Me' Monster Couldn't Beat the Garden and the Bath

After breakfast.

Even though they should be full,
for some reason, my child starts fussing.

Since I've been serving more finger foods lately,
we eat breakfast at almost the same time.

My child's breakfast on this day was,
two cherry tomatoes, a tofu hamburger, about ten bite-sized rice balls, and one banana.

As for me,natto rice and a banana.

……and yet,
my child always finishes eating faster.

I have them wait in their chair
until I'm done eating,

but they clearly want to get down sooner, so they start getting fussy.

I finally finish eating,

clean up some of the food scraps,
and sit them down by the sink to wash their hands.

And the moment I put them on the floor—

the 'hold me' demand is activated🚨

While they are crying,
I put away the plates and the bib.

Only after finishing all that do I finally feel,
'Ah, breakfast is over...'
If I could, I'd like to sit in the living room and take a breather here.

But, of course, there's no time for that.

First,

I bring out their favorite toys.

I also perform some hand-play songs.Although their mood improved slightly,

they immediately started demanding to be held again 🐨
I try carrying them in the hip seat, but

honestly, it's exhausting.


At this point, I have no choice but to change the environment.Thinking that, I decided to go outside for a bit.

I applied sunscreen,

put on their hat,

changed them into clothes that could get dirty

—and they were barefoot.



We headed to the garden.Time to let them graze on the artificial turf.

At first, even when I put them down,



they just clung to me and didn't move at all.I wonder if the feeling of the grass on their feet bothered them.

But, perhaps getting used to it little by little,

they gently put their hands on the ground.



And just when I thought they were moving...They started crawling? without putting their knees on the ground.



I could feel their strong will to absolutely not let their knees touch the ground.That sight was so funny, I couldn't help but laugh.

They enjoyed the feel of the artificial turf,

and picked up some fallen leaves that had wandered in 🍂
…well, they immediately tried to eat what they picked up, so

I couldn't take my eyes off them at all.

Even so,

it was far easier than holding them the whole time.

After a while, they became very interested in the garden faucet 🚰

When I tried turning the water on—

Splash, splash!

They were super excited, letting out squeals of joy.

They looked like they were having a blast.

However, I thought, I can't really leave the water running in the garden forever...

So we went back inside.

And just like that,we decided to play with water in the bath.

Since we were at it, I wanted to take photos and send them to their grandparents.

So, we changed into swimsuits 👙

We didn't have swim diapers, so

we used their regular diaper. lol

In the bath, we played nursery rhymes as background music,
and while singing together,

splash, splash.
Splish, splash.

That was all.

But it was so much fun.

We didn't need special toys.

We didn't need elaborate preparations.

I was surprised that just having water
could be this much fun.

And above all—

my child, who had been demanding to be held since the morning,
didn't fuss.

They went straight to their morning nap without a hitch.

…well, I did have to hold them to get them to sleep, though 😂

But being freed from that morning 'hold me' hell
was a big deal.

At home, if things get dirty, you can wash them right away and change clothes.

I'm grateful that the barrier for parents is low.

I'll definitely do this again.

I've found a new option for those mornings
when I'm being pushed around by my little 'hold me' monster.🌱

Recommended Articles🌼