¨I forgive all the mistakes of my parents, the times of anger, the unfair and irrational scolding. I am patient with the impatience of my parents. I laugh, live, and love with innocence, carefreeness, and even… recklessness.¨

Have you ever had days like these? You cling to your mother when she just comes home, unable to speak but only making sounds like «uh-uh.» You stop playing and run to embrace your father, unable to speak but only making sounds like «uh-uh.» You wake up in the middle of the night and cry, sometimes crying for a long time, and no matter how many questions your parents ask, you only… cry. It’s only after several questions, asking if you’re hungry, if you want some milk, that you finally stop crying… We can be hungry, thirsty, or frightened in the middle of the night… but we can still eat, drink, or do something to overcome the fear. But you can’t. Imagine living a life constricted by standards and control. We talk a lot about how to be a good mother, with many beautiful reasons – it seems so easy. But in reality, it’s very difficult.

As a mother, and studying about young children’s psychology, I often try to imagine what life would be like if I were the child. If you want to find a solution for a behavior or action of a child, you first need to try to understand it. Only when I put myself in the shoes of the child and analyze it, do I understand that no one among us, the adults, can cope with what the child is going through.

With newborns and children under 1 year old, think about how the child can tell you what to do, when and how to do it. Impossible, right? How can you make the child eat everything they have never seen before? «Don’t make that face» or «Be serious,» but what does «be serious» mean? Think about it, why is the child always forced to go somewhere they don’t want to go and rush in a hurry with the urging words «Hurry up» to meet the parents’ schedule – something that may not mean anything to the child.

Also, try to imagine the feeling of «failure» in each child. Unable to make their fingers open as desired. Unable to make their hand move correctly when cutting paper. Unable to put the spoon in their mouth properly. Falling while running on the street. Spilling milk that they didn’t want to spill. But do parents easily scold and yell at the child for that? Isn’t it irrational?

In the book «Everywhere Babies,» there is a sentence I really like: «Everyday everywhere babies are loved. For trying so hard, for traveling so far, for being so wonderful, just as they are.»

Every time I think of this sentence, I feel infinite love for the child. After all, you and many other children are trying, trying so hard, trying again and again every day. You greet each day of life with smiles, enthusiasm, and curiosity. You forgive all the mistakes of your parents, the times of anger, the unfair and irrational scolding. You are patient with the impatience of your parents. You laugh, live, and love with innocence, carefreeness, and even… recklessness.

Perhaps, when you push us to a certain limit, don’t forget that we have also done the same to you.

Please note that the translation provided is a general interpretation and may not capture the full nuance of the original text.