Daily Gratitude & Parenting Diary | I changed my answer to 'Why is it Dad?'

The other day, when I went to pick up my daughter from cram school.

Usually, it's Mom who goes to pick her up.

And I'm the one preparing dinner.

But that day, I was the one who went to pick her up.

As soon as she got in the car, my daughter asked,

'Why is it Dad?'

The reason was simple.

Both my wife and I were going to be late that day, so we decided that whoever was closer to their workplace would go pick her up.

My wife picked up our son, and I picked up our daughter.

That was all.

Honestly, in my heart,

I think things like,
'Does it really matter?' or 'Am I not good enough?'

But, when I think about it a little,

I realize that my daughter usually

feels like her little brother is monopolizing Mom.
That's why, for her,

it's not about

'I came to pick you up'

but rather

'Mom went to pick up my little brother'

that seems to be what's bothering her.

When something similar happened before,
I just told her the facts,
and she ended up feeling a bit grumpy.

So this time,
I tried changing how I said it.

"Dad just wanted to come pick you up for a change!"

Then my daughter gave me
a deliberately cold look.
And then, a tiny smile.

Something similar happens with my son.

"Let's take a bath."

When I invite him like that,

"Why isn't it Mom?"

Even at times like that,

"Dad wanted to play in the bath with you."

That's what I tell him.

Of course, there are still days when that doesn't work.

But

'It's time to get in now'

is less effective than saying it this way.

I think about this while writing this article.

'Aren't you two being a little rude to Dad?'

It's not that I don't have feelings like that (lol).

When it's really too much,
I do make sure to tell them.

But it's not that the kids dislike me.

Surely... (lol)

It's just that

in that moment, they 'want Mommy'.

That feeling itself is not a bad thing.

That is precisely why the words I use are something I can change.

Even if the result of what I convey is the same,

rather than 'because I have to,'

saying,

'because I wanted to,'

that one phrase makes a child's heart a little warmer.

Because our days are busy,
it doesn't have to be every time.

Even just on days when you have some breathing room,
or just when you remember to,
try changing your words a little.

Sometimes, just that can change a child's expression.

The daily life of a parent and child
might just be made up
of such small accumulations of words.

Compared to before,
my update pace has slowed down over the past month.

To those who have continued to read,
thank you 🍀

To those who commented,
and those who added my articles to their magazines or shared them,

thank you so much 😭

About parenting, living together, and our daily life as a couple
I will be writing lighthearted stories,
little realizations,
and articles that might be helpful to someone,
so I look forward to your continued support ☺️

Thank you for adding this to your magazine 🍀

Thank you for sharing the article✨