We Haven't Said Goodbye Yet

When my daughter was still two or three years old.
The apartment complex where we lived at the time was full of little kids around my daughter's age.
And in the apartment building right next door, too.
Every day, they would ride tricycles and play with balls together; it was so lively.
I would watch over them while they played, chatting with the other moms about raising children.

That day, too, they were all playing around noisily from just after noon until evening.
When the sky turned to sunset, someone or other called out, "See you tomorrow!" and they all went back to their respective rooms.

My daughter and I were the last ones left.
"Alright, let's go home."
I urged my daughter, but she wouldn't budge.
In the end, she just stood there and started crying her eyes out.

"It's dinner time now. Everyone else has gone home, you know?"

Even so, she wouldn't stop crying.

I wanted to start preparing dinner, I was tired from playing all day, and I thought, 'Enough is enough!' My tone gradually became harsher, and I said,
"We're going home now! Everyone else is gone!" I pulled on her hand, but she just kept crying and wouldn't move.

I tried leaving her alone for a while, but that didn't work.
(Enough with the selfishness!)
Feeling fed up, I crouched down to her level and asked,
"Why won't you come home?"

My daughter said through her sobs,

"I haven't said goodbye to Hiroki-kun yet."

Oh, I see.

I took my crying daughter's hand, huffed and puffed as I climbed the stairs to the third floor of the neighboring apartment building, and went to Hiroki-kun's place.

Ding-dong!

"Oh, sorry to bother you, but she said she hadn't said goodbye to Hiroki-kun... Is that okay?"

Hiroki-kun came out, and the two of them successfully said goodbye.

After that, my daughter stopped crying instantly and happily walked home.

As we walked home holding hands, I thought,

There's always a real reason for crying, isn't there?
Even such a small child has their own reasons they want to be satisfied with.

***

The other day at the supermarket, I saw a young mom who had finished shopping struggling to get her child onto a bicycle.
The child was crying and resisting, and even after being put on, they were still crying their eyes out.
"Why are you crying!"
The mom said that in anger.

Yeah, I get it. You'd get angry too, right?
They probably don't want to go home yet.
Maybe they wanted something?
Maybe it would be better to take them off the bike once?
I thought these things with a distant look in my eyes.

Because there is always a real reason why a child is crying.