What My Grandchild Learned Through a Small Discovery About His and Her Body July 18, 2026 (Saturday) Reiwa 8

Today, I watched a video of my youngest grandchild in New Zealand taking his first steps.

When the song "Walking, Walking" from the movie "My Neighbor Totoro" played, the one-year-old baby who had been crying stopped crying and began to walk on his own feet.

Watching him, I suddenly remembered something that happened last October.

My middle grandchild, S, is growing up between her older brother and younger brother.

Her older brother is seven years old, and her younger brother, M, was still very small at that time.

Once, S tried to imitate her older brother and wanted to pee standing up in the garden.

Their home in New Zealand has a large garden, and the children are growing up in an environment that is a little different from Japan.

At that moment, perhaps S began to notice the difference between her body and her brother's body for the first time.

When they visited Japan, while riding in a car, she suddenly repeated many times:

"N has it. M has it too. But I don't have it."

The adults around her were silent for a moment because they did not know how to respond.

However, when I think about it now, I realize that this was an important discovery for a child.

"I am different from my brother."
"I am also different from my younger brother."
"I have my own body."

Children learn about themselves through experiences like this.

One-year-old M is now learning how to walk.

A little earlier, S learned about the differences between her body and others.

The seven-year-old older brother also once celebrated when he was able to use the toilet by himself, saying proudly, "Today, I made something as big as a banana."

Learning how to use the toilet, learning how to walk, and understanding one's own body are all important parts of growing up.

Children become who they are through many small discoveries every day.

Today, while watching my grandchild take his first steps, I remembered something simple but very precious.

#Grandchildren
#ChildDevelopment
#FamilyMemories
#GrowingUp
#NewZealand
#WalkingWalking
#LifeLessons