孫の成長と日本語の絵本 — 海外で育つ三人の孫を思う　　　　　　#いまあなたに伝えたいこと(23) (英語版) Watching My Grandchildren Grow — Japanese Picture Books for Kids Growing Up Abroad #imayantanitsuite(23)

My eldest grandchild turned seven this past January 25.

Before he was born, my son and his wife built a house.
It was their first time becoming parents,
and it was our first time becoming grandparents.

We all prepared together to welcome the baby.
My son asked me,
“Please send some Japanese picture books.”

Some of the books seemed a little difficult for a baby,
but I didn’t say anything.
I sent them just as he requested.

We decorated the room with the books,
waiting for the baby’s arrival.

When he was born, my son tried to speak Japanese to him,
but he was very busy.
The mother is from New Zealand, so their home is mostly English.

One day, I noticed that my grandson was already crawling.
He was lying on his father’s stomach, moving his body to the rhythm of music,
tapping and dancing.

At that moment, I thought,
“Ah, he truly has New Zealand blood flowing in him too.”

Of course, Japanese children can dance, too,
but there was something free and rhythmic in his movements
that reminded me of another culture.

Around that time, he loved My Neighbor Totoro.
At first, he watched it in Japanese,
again and again.

But when he started preschool,
everything at school was in English.
Slowly, his preferences changed.
He wanted Totoro in English.
And gradually, other things became English too.

Watching this, I sometimes worried,
“Will his Japanese remain?”

Even so, new interests emerged as he grew.
He loved Paw Patrol for a long time,
and he was excited about pop-up picture books sent from Japan.

Recently, he has become absorbed in anime and manga,
especially ONE PIECE and Rising Impact.

I had almost forgotten to order them online,
so yesterday I called a local bookstore.
I found Volume 1 of ONE PIECE and asked them to hold it.
Rising Impact wasn’t available,
so I thought, “Health is more important.”
I bought only ONE PIECE.

I wondered whether to put the book in the side pocket of my suitcase or my carry-on bag.
I thought the side pocket might be fine,
but then I remembered:
“ONE PIECE is popular; someone could take it.”
I decided to keep it in my bag.

Recently, he has also developed a strong interest in numbers.
At school, there are activities to solve many addition or subtraction problems.
He is the fastest in his class.

I remembered when my son was small,
and my husband gave him Super Mario.
Without reading instructions, he cleared the stages
faster than my husband could.

Being a grandmother, I can do very little.
But that may be enough.
If my grandchildren are happy in the moment, that is enough.

The second grandchild is a girl, almost five years old.
She enjoys painting her nails with her mother,
and loves cute clothes.

The third grandchild, a boy, is now eight months old.
He will grow up influenced by his older siblings.

My grandchildren, my son, my daughter-in-law, and I—
and my husband too—
all have our own thoughts and feelings.

We don’t know what the future holds.
Today, I spent the day running around
looking for books for my grandchildren,
thinking about all of this along the way.


#Grandchildren #GrowingUpAbroad #JapaneseEducation #PictureBooks #FamilyMemories #ParentingEssay #LifeReflections