Ep. 177
With Sarang starting elementary school, a few things in her life changed.
First, there was Sarang’s room.
Hee-sung had moved out of his room some time ago, but Sarang began using it as her own personal space around the time she entered school.
I thought it would be good for her to have her own space from that point on, especially since we had the room. Sarang also enjoyed decorating it to her liking.
Of course, she still often came into our room to sleep, but she was young, so that was to be expected.
Besides, a young child’s body is so warm; it felt really nice to sleep with Sarang. Sometimes, I’d see Heena taking Sarang from me in the middle of the night and hugging her to sleep.
“Umm… warm…”
“…Picture, picture.”
Heena hugging Sarang tightly while sleeping was unbelievably cute. When you combine cuteness with more cuteness, it feels like it’s not just double, but 200 billion times as cute. So, I took some pictures.
Next was going to school.
When she was going to daycare or kindergarten, either my wife or my mother-in-law always helped Sarang get there. They had a car they could use, but it was close anyway, and we felt more comfortable taking her ourselves.
But after starting elementary school, we trained Sarang to go alone, except for the first few times. I was worried, but we couldn’t hold her hand forever.
Among the things we taught her, the important ones were: always walk on the main road, walk with friends if she met them, how to use the emergency bell, and how to use her smartphone. Safety was the most important thing.
Well, the truth is, my wife, my mother-in-law, and my father-in-law took turns secretly following her. But our smart Sarang never forgot or violated what we seriously warned or taught her.
“When crossing the crosswalk?”
“Look at the cars before crossing! Don’t run! Raise your hand and cross!”
“That’s right~ Our Sarang is so, so smart~”
“Hehe!”
Thanks to that, we were all able to relax quickly.
Lastly, there’s the allowance.
Sarang’s allowance also started when she entered elementary school. Before that, if she wanted to eat or have something, someone would buy it for her.
Of course, the things our family had given her until then were saved in Sarang’s name. However, the money she received from relatives other than my wife and my family… we used it wisely.
It doesn’t mean we used it for ourselves.
When I was young, I thought my parents took the money I received from relatives and used it for household expenses, but after having a child, I realized that wasn’t the case.
The money Sarang received, we secretly saved it and gave it back to the relatives’ children when their birthdays came around or during special occasions. It’s literally money going around.
However, because Sarang was so cute, she received more money than other kids, so there was some left over. Of course, that was all saved in Sarang’s name.
Anyway, starting this year, Sarang’s allowance was 10,000 won [approximately $7.50 USD] per week. We give it to her every Monday. You might think that’s too much for a first grader, but that amount doesn’t go directly into Sarang’s hands.
My wife gives her a little more to instill a savings habit in Sarang. Basically, half of it is unconditionally saved, so the actual allowance she can spend is 5,000 won.
This seems like a lot, but looking at Sarang, it seems okay for now. On Sunday evenings, Sarang goes to my wife with her remaining allowance.
“Mom! I want to save!”
“Really? How much do you have left?”
“Three thousand won!”
“Good. Did you write in your allowance book properly?”
“Yes!”
“Good job~”
Except for the first 5,000 won, we don’t force Sarang to save the remaining allowance. It’s good to save, but she also needs to know how to spend it.
But Sarang wasn’t the type to waste money on snacks. She likes snacks a lot, but she doesn’t buy them to eat alone.
She only says, ‘Dad~ I want to eat this! Let’s eat that!’ when she’s with me.
Looking at Sarang’s allowance book, except for small expenses when playing with friends, most of it was used when she was with us.
During our weekly walks, when she sometimes gets hooked on street food, she says, ‘I want to eat that! Sarang will pay!’ and uses her allowance.
And she’s a good daughter who always gives me and my wife a bite each, instead of eating it alone. We were very happy that Sarang used her allowance in this way.
How could we not be? She’s so kind.
—
As Sarang’s daily life changed, we also changed little by little, or there were things we had to participate in as Sarang’s parents.
The life that revolved 100% around Sarang gave her freedom as she grew up, and as a result, we also had more time to use more flexibly.
One of the things I was most looking forward to was the Green Mothers’ Club activity. You might say, ‘What’s this out of the blue?’ but I was quite excited about it.
It’s an activity where I can deeply realize that I am a parent of a child, Sarang’s dad. Last time, the school asked for parents who could help, so I quickly applied.
My wife had to go to work at a fixed time, so it was difficult for her to participate, but I could adjust my work hours to some extent, so there was no big problem. It’s just something you do for a short time in the morning anyway.
And a few days after applying, I got the news that I had joined the traffic volunteer team. Well, the truth is, you can attend if you apply.
After that, after waiting with excitement, my turn finally came.
“Are you that happy?”
“Doesn’t it sound fun? And when I was young, I felt good when I saw my mom doing this at the crosswalk.”
“Hehe, please take care of Sarang~ Be careful of cars yourself.”
“I will protect the safety in front of Sarang’s school…!”
“You go!”
Early in the morning, I finished preparing to leave with my wife’s support. Without Sarang knowing. I didn’t tell Sarang, thinking of surprising her.
So, while Sarang is in the bathroom now, I quickly put on my shoes and go outside.
And I headed to school with light steps. The school was close enough for Sarang to walk alone, so I was able to arrive quickly.
I went straight to the parents’ room on the first floor, and some mothers were already chatting inside.
I was a little nervous because I was the only man, but honestly, I was prepared for it. After all, husbands usually can’t come because they’re working.
“Hello! Please take care of me today!”
“Oh my, aren’t you Sarang’s dad?”
“Ah, yes! Uh…”
“I’m Seyeon’s mom~ You came to the entrance ceremony too, and you applied for this too.”
“Ah~ Seyeon’s mother! Seyeon often plays with our Sarang…”
“Oh my~ Sarang is the one who plays with her. When she comes home, she only talks about Sarang~”
Fortunately, there was someone who recognized me, so I didn’t have to stand awkwardly. Like at daycare, there were quite a few people who remembered me and my wife when we came to a gathering of parents like this.
I guess we’re remembered because we’re a very young couple.
While I was talking to Seyeon’s mother, other people around me slowly joined the conversation.
“Oh my gosh. I thought I hired an employee, but you were a parent~”
“I know. But the mother didn’t come…”
“The child’s mother is at work. I can adjust my time, so I applied. I wanted to try this once.”
“Oh my, oh my, what’s so fun about this~”
From then on, small talk went back and forth for a while. Then I found out that all the people gathered here were mothers of first graders.
So, in the middle of the conversation, I naturally mentioned our education and jobs.
“Did you both graduate from Seoyeon University?”
“Yes. We were lucky…”
“How can that be done with luck? Then you don’t have to send her to a hagwon [private academy]~”
It’s not that I brought it up to brag, but since we’re such a young couple, some people might see us in a bad light.
It doesn’t matter if they only do that to me, but if I’m not careful, it could harm Sarang. They might be laughing and joking now, but they might go home and tell their children, ‘Don’t play with that child because they’re like this and that~’.
Just looking at it now, when I said that my wife and I both graduated from Seoyeon University, I could clearly feel that the way they looked at me changed very favorably.
Well, I think it’s an unavoidable part. Social perception is something that can’t be ignored.
Anyway, now that I’ve leaked information here once, it will naturally spread among the parents. This was something that happened in kindergarten and daycare, so I was 100% sure. The parents’ information network is no joke. In the first place, there’s a separate group chat. My wife is in it though.
As we were talking, a teacher gathered us, saying it was time.
“Parents, please come this way!”
—
I was reconfirmed by the teacher about the position to stand in and simple precautions. And the time. I came out with a vest, hat, and flag.
And when I took my place in front of the crosswalk, it was already fun for some reason. I haven’t done anything yet.
What should I do? I want to do this every day.
I had such random thoughts for a while, but children started to come into sight one by one, so I blocked the front of the crosswalk with a flag.
Then, when the light turned green, I raised the flag. If I saw a car that seemed to be accelerating suddenly, I stepped forward and stopped it with a gesture. I also stopped children who were trying to run.
It wasn’t a big deal, but it was quite rewarding. It’s partly because I’m protecting the safety of the children, and partly because they’re all so cute.
Besides.
“Hello!”
“Yeah, hello~”
There were also children who bowed and greeted me. Mainly the lower graders around Sarang’s age do that, and I tried to answer them as kindly as possible whenever I received a greeting.
Ah, so much fun!
About 30 minutes had passed since I was enjoying volunteering before work. A familiar figure began to come into view from afar.
It was our Sarang!
Next to her, Jueun, who is a neighbor, was walking together holding hands. They live nearby, and their departure times are similar, so they often go to school together like that. There were also a couple of other kids who greeted them, whether they were friends or not.
My wife and Jueun’s mom, and probably other moms too, recommend things like that because they feel more at ease when children gather and go to school or come home together.
Anyway, Sarang, who arrived at the crosswalk on the opposite side, waited for the signal to change behind the flag of the mother who was in place on the opposite side.
After a while, the green light turned on and the flag went up, but Sarang didn’t start right away and stopped to look around on both sides.
And after confirming that the car was completely stopped, she raised one hand and slowly started walking across the crosswalk, holding Jueun’s hand with the other.
Whose daughter is she? She was very, very excellent.
I barely suppressed the urge to cry and applaud, and I was smiling happily and raising the flag.
But when Sarang was halfway across the crosswalk, she suddenly stopped in her place. Staring at me intently.
Hmm, did she notice? It’s not easy to recognize at first glance because I’m wearing a vest and a hat.
In a situation where I was half-doubtful, Sarang started crossing the road again at a fast pace.
As she got closer, I could clearly see her very bright smile.
“Daddy!!!!”