Taking care of a grandchild

2024/05/16

June is in her late sixties.

She is busy working for her job three days a week, supporting her old mother

by doing her housework and accompanying her to doctors’ appointments.

June has three adult children who have their own families.

Her youngest daughter, Satsuki, has a daughter, Kilala.

Taking care of a grandchild

June and her grandchild, Kilala

Kilala is three years old.

While her mother, Satsuki, is working, Kilala goes to the nursery. 

But the nursery is not available at night or on holidays and Sundays,

so when Satsuki is scheduled to work then, she asks June

to take care of Kilala.

June cooks the foods that Kilala likes, supervises her while she is

playing inside and lovingly gives her a bath.

This attention continues until Kilala’s dad picks her up.

On Sundays or holidays, June starts taking care of Kilala early in the morning.

She also takes Kilala to a park in the neighborhood.

Her grandchild is cute and June likes her but it’s physically arduous

for her to take care of a young child.

Kilala, three-years old, is cute and clever but demands to get what she wants.

Her selfish behaviors often bother June a lot.

For example, Kilala tries to get bananas hidden in a cupboard

by climbing on a chair.

Her determination makes her unsafe and it worries June. 

She often appeals to June, demanding that because she has eaten

her hated vegetables, she should be allowed to have some of her

favorite ice cream even though she has finished none of her other food.

June had disciplined her own children strictly.

Satsuki and her siblings were taught acceptably good behaviors

while they were still young.

She also wanted them to eat nutritious food to be healthy

and to get a fit body.

For example, one day before leaving home for work, June told

her children to eat the lunch she prepared for them at noon.

When a woman next door invited them for lunch, June’s children

refused the lady’s invitation and ate June’s lunch at noon because

they were obedient to their mother.

It was June’s policy to discipline her children so they would grow strong,

healthy, and socially appropriate.

She also wanted them to learn to take care of themselves.

June continues this policy with Kilala.

She teaches Kilala proper behaviors for Kilala’s future life.

June wants to support Kilala so she will learn the things she needs

for her future life.

As she grows, she has to learn many things: not to waste food and

to follow traffic rules for example.

When Kilala stubbornly wants ice cream while eating dinner,

June stresses that she would put away the ice cream

if Kilala didn’t finish her dinner.

Kilala continues whining, so June insists that she would begin to

put away the ice cream.

Kilala rushes to finish all of her dinner food.

June wants Kilala to have dinner food at first because Kilala needs

to take nutrition from food to be healthy and get a fit body. 

June thinks Kilala can do it.

When Kilala wants to go to the park, June says that Kilala should put away

her toys before June would take her to the park.

Kilala cries and insists to go to the park immediately．

But June stands her ground until Kilala stops crying and returns her toys

to their storage places.

She can do it.

When June stops at the nursery to pick her up, Kilala starts crying.

June says that they will not leave the nursery for home

if she doesn’t stop crying.

Then Kilala tries to stop crying and they go home.

But when her parents come to pick her up, they spoil her and

Kilala never stops crying.

June thinks if the parents treat Kilala with proper attitudes,

Kilala would stop crying. 

June loves Kilala but worries about Kilala’s future.

It’s her parents who are responsible for their child's well-being,

so she doesn’t interfere with their attitudes, but she believes that

the child is the father to the man, and worries about Kilala's future.