Hiroko’s Diary

The other day, I went to buy shoes for my children to Esaka. My 2-year-old son was very slow to start to walk and when he had a medical check at 18 months old, the doctor suggested me that my son should take more sufficient examination and wrote me a letter of introduction to Saiseikai hospital. There he had his brain checked by C.T. scan. As a result, there was something different from ordinary people. The doctor told me that this might be the reason for him not to start to walk. I got shocked by his words.

Since that time we started to attend the special training school, I don’t know how to say in English, anyway it’s an institution next to the hospital and mostly for people who are struggling with cerebral palsy. My son started to take a training to strengthen his muscles. At home also, my husband gave him the training twice a day. Thanks to the training, he started to walk just before he became 2 years old. You can imagine how happy I was when I saw him walking.

Except for the training, I learned that how much important role shoes play to our entire bodies. I was introduced a shoe shop in Esaka which deals with European shoes and makes each customer’s foot record. Though those shoes are little bit expensive, I think they are worthwhile. The head of the shop told me that compared to Western people, Japanese tend to not spend much money for shoes though they don’t care for spending a lot of money for their chothes.

Considering children who have long life from now on, we should be more serious when choosing shoes.

Shizuka Arakawa won the gold medal on the female figure skating competition at the 2006 Winter Olympics.

Today I woke up around 5:30.p.m., and kept watching television. While she was skating, I just prayed for not falling down. When she finished her perfomance, I clapped my hands. I was also moved by the following performance by Fumie Suguri. Though she was not able to get any medal, I think not a few Japanese people were touched by her elegant skating.

While I was listening to Japanese anthem, my eyes were filled with tears. I don’t know how much power I gained. Thank you so much!

Today I went to a community center for children near my house with my son. This is the place where I used to go before my elder child entered into a kindergarten. When I got birth to the first child 5 years ago, I didn’t have any friend who also had a child and lived in the neighborhood. So it was the place where I made a lot of friends and played with them including our children. For mothers who have small children and elementary school children, that kind of community center is indispensable.

The other day I read an article in the newspaper that Osaka city government is going to close some community centers for children because of the financial crisis. I think there are other ways to solve the problems.

Today I went to the hospital for the medical check up that is taken place once a month. As a matter of fact, I went to surgery to remove ovarian cancer last March. Fortunately, it was the early stage of cancer so I didn’t have to take the treatment using unticancer drugs.

Before the surgery, my doctor anticipated that the condition of the disease would be worse than it really was and told me so. Therefore I despaired and almost lost all hope to live. But the result was what neither my husband nor I expected. Thanks to God, the surgery was successful and I regained the former health now.

Since I experienced such a difficulty, I feel the importance of life more strongly than before. I really appreciate to my husband, my children, my parents, and all other people who have supported me so far.

The other day, two 5-year-old kindergarteners in Nagahama were killed by a Chinese national woman who was their freind’s mother. Today, the two children’s funeral was held. Even if she has been worried about child-rearing in a society that she felt different from her own country, what she has done is unexcusable.

Some people say that the kindergarten where the two victims and the murder’s child attended shouldn’t have ordered the group pickup system. But I don’t agree that. Each school or society has it’s own rules and we should keep those rules to some extent. If you think that you don’t want to keep them, you can negotiate and find another way to solve your anxiety.

I just pray for the repose of those two children’s souls.

Last Friday, I went to my parents’ house with my children. My father manages a towel factory and he asked me to help selling towels for sale on Saturday. My younger sister also came and helped selling. On that day, it was very cold and I had to be outside selling towels so that I got a cold on Sunday. It took me to recover about 4 days.

I’m very happy to hear that Princess Kiko is pregnant. About the Imperial Household Law, there has been heated discussions exchanged so far. But I simply hope that she will give birth to a healthy baby.

Today I knew that Ms. Coretta Scott King, the widow of Martin Luther King Jr., died on Jan. 30th. That knews recalled my high school days. As a summer homework at highschool, I had to memorize his famous speech, "I have a dream". It was very hard to remember all of the speech, however as I was moved by his courage so strongly that I decided to go to the United States to study in the future.

I went to the English class at church today. To memorize new words I learned there, I put those here.

*hanker for/ My child hankers for the Disney’s Princess dress.

*They are budding. / I want to see them bloom.

*It’s a great pleasure to perform in front of a full audience.

*Children are clingy.

The other day, I read an article in Newsweek, titled "A good enough mother". Being a mother of two, from time to time I ask to myself, what is a good mother? Does anybody answer this question? I’m trying to be a good mother, but it’s very difficult and I don’t think I’m a good mother. I’d like to do what I want to do rather than playing with my kids. Of course I feel very happy when I play with them, but not always. I’m waiting comments regarding this.