Dear Yui,
Nothing could be more beautiful than seeing your eyes filled with happiness and knowledge that you are loved whilst shrieking fits of giggles and laughter. Do keep in mind that always, Daddy and Mommy love you. You are beautiful, inside and out. Grow up well.
Love,
Daddy and Mommy
I believe I’ve mentioned in my previous posts that while for the rest of the world, men are racking their brains for new ways to surprise their women with Valentines Day gifts, it’s a whole lot different here in Japan (and I think Korea too). It’s Chocolate Day here; and it’s the women who give to the men they love or to men who are close to their hearts. There were Feb 14s in which Hubs kept to the rest of the world’s tradition and gave me flowers. For this year though, I kept to the Japanese tradition. But since we are in dire need of cups, I bought Hubs the Starbucks’ Valentines special mug instead of giving him chocolates.
Love shared over steaming mugs of ginger drink – because the two of us have cough and colds.
The three of us were supposed to have our special Valentines snack at the cozy cafe near our place but the three of us overslept (Mom and Dad accompanied baby to sleep) . We woke up just in time though for our reservation at the condo’s karaoke bar. FUN! We decided to have the special dinner at the cafe but by the time we finished our karaoke and groceries, the cafe was already about to close. And because it was already late for me to cook, our dinner was yakiimo (baked sweet potato) – simple but nutritious and delicious.
It was a simple kind of V-day, devoid of pomp and expensive flowers. We didn’t even have photos! The photo above was the last one I took since yet again I don’t have enough iPhone space. Nevertheless, it was a happy one, one that’s filled with contentment. And yes, we wouldn’t want to spend it any other way. 🙂
Probably one of the most difficult things a parent has to do is knowing when to give your child a helping hand and when to hold yourself at bay and let your child be. You don’t want your child to be crippled with dependence and yet you don’t want to see your child helpless.
Yet again, I had that moment early this evening, seemingly mundane though it may be for older kids. I was then putting my coat in the closet, intent on helping Yui with her layers after depositing our bags. Before I turned to her though, she called my attention and was already handing over to me her outermost winter vest. She earned a praise for this since she was able to work through the zipper. She then went on unzipping her second jacket. I know this one will be more difficult than the vest because of the almost tight sleeves. And so as she struggled I was also struggling within, whether I should go and help her already. A lump was already forming in my throat and 99% of me wanted to assist her especially since she called out “Mommy” already.
But thankfully, I sided with the 1% of me and held my ground. To remove the lump on my throat, I cheered her on, told her she can do it, told her to have some strategy. She kept an eye contact with me and I tried to muster an encouraging expression, a smile on my face while cheering her on.
When she was finally able to remove the jacket, the look on her face was priceless; there’s that unmistakable joy of achievement for doing something by herself. So glad I held on. If I had helped her, I would have had robbed her of that joy of achievement.
We pray we’ll have the wisdom to always know when to lend a hand or when to just sit back and encourage.
Our latest craze. Nothing beats ice-cold dessert in Winter! Go get some now since mochi ice cream is only available during cold season! 🙂
