久しぶり 娘の娘たちと 楽しく過ごす

　昨日の午後は、次女の娘二人【小３、小１】を２時間ほど私の家で預かり、久しぶりに私も孤独感から解放され、楽しい時間が持てました。

　　　

　彼女たちは私の家に来るなり、ヒャッキンに連れてってと言い出しましたが、最初は何のことだか分りませんでした。これは百円均一のお店だったのです。いわゆる百円ショップです。

　行ってみるとなるほど、子供に興味ある品物が店頭にずらりと並んでいて、彼女たちは自分の持ってる小遣いでいくつか買えるのです。現代では、一般のお店に行っても、子供が小遣いで買えるものは先ずないでしょう。昔は、子供が自分の小遣いで買えるお店が近所にたくさんあったものです。

　私たち大人同様に、彼女たちも「自らのお金で、自らの意志で」欲しいものを手に入れる喜びをすでに知っています。

　お店に行く前に、いつもと同じように事前に私はあれこれ注意しないで、「外に行ったら何を気をつけるの」と私は質問し、考えさせてます。そうするといろいろ考えるようです。「飛び出さない。」、「勝手にお店の商品に触らない。」など、よい答えが出ると、「そうだね。」というようにしてます。要は、彼女たちに言わせることが大切と思います。小さい時から危険予知能力を身に付けさせたいと思います。

Dear my overseas friends

　Yesterday afternoon, I took care of my second daughter's two daughters [3rd grade and 1st grade in elementary school] at my home for about 2 hours.

　As soon as they came to my house, they asked me to take to Hyakkin, but at first I had no idea what they were talking about. This was a 100 yen only shop. It is a so-called 100 yen shop.

　We went by my car, there were so interesting items lined up in the store for children, and they could buy some with their pocket money. In modern times, even if they go to a general store, there is hardly anything that children can buy with their pocket money. In the old days, there were many shops in the neighborhood where children could buy things by their pocket money.

　Just like us adults, they already know the joy of buying what they want "by their own money and by their own will."

　As usual, before going to the store, I didn't say attention for them n advance, and I ask, "What do you need to be careful of when you go outside?" This question makes them think about a lot of things. When I get a good answer, such as they say "I don't jump out" or "I don't touch the store's products without permission", I say "That's right." To sum up, I think it's important to let them speak the answer. I want children to acquire the ability to predict danger from an early age.

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