We all have moments when we've had enough of our daily lives, and children are no exception. In ordinary days, facing the same people and scenes day after day, going to the same places to satisfy curiosity and find fun—even if children can't express it, deep down they surely crave fresh excitement and change.
If you too have grown weary of your current routine, seize the moment. Pick a sunny day, dress yourself and your little one in your finest, hop in the car, and set off for home—with the timidity of a traveler returning, bearing the dust of the year. Bring your child and yourself a few days of leisure, a few days of novelty.
Let the grandparent's love come pouring in!
Society often criticizes elders for spoiling children, regardless of the reasons. Before condemning this indulgence, we should first ask ourselves: have we set aside our own grievances with the older generation?It cannot be denied that many people, having first experienced poor relationships with their elders, then subjectively and arbitrarily conclude that the elders' methods of raising children are utterly worthless. To put it plainly, they are simply sulking.
Personally, I believe intergenerational affection isn't entirely without merit. Think back to our childhoods—when we recall our grandparents, most memories are fond. Whatever we wanted to eat or play with, they'd find ways to make it happen. Every summer and winter break, we'd eagerly anticipate visiting Grandma's or Grandma's house. Those memories remain warm in our minds.
Grandparents are meant to spoil children; parents are meant to discipline them.
If grandparents constantly told children "no" and never defended them when you scolded them, if they never secretly slipped a lollipop when you denied snacks—would they still be our grandparents?
A few days won't spoil a child.During the New Year, bring the kids home and let them be thoroughly spoiled. This is the grandparent-grandchild joy they deserve, and it will be a warm hue in their cold winter months. Candy, cookies, and chocolate are a must. Honestly, if candy didn't affect appetite or cause cavities, and cookies didn't affect appetite or hinder nutrient absorption,chocolate didn't affect appetite or cause cavities, if all unhealthy foods were healthy (what kind of logic is this...), I'd gladly let Manman eat candy every day, cookies every day, chocolate every day, and drink Coke every day!
Let children feel the warmth of home
For 360 days a year, we're all travelers living far from home. Only during the New Year can children from the south return south, and those from the north return north—to warmth or to bitter cold. Whichever it may be, this is where our children's true roots lie.
When Manman came north, everyone bombarded her with "You're dressed too lightly!" No explanation could sway them.Enough talk—just bundle up. Layer on thick coats, wear both thin and thick hats, and if the kid steps outside for fresh air, they're dragged back indoors to warm up. Even baths mean heading to the public bathhouse, sweating buckets only to freeze solid again outside...
But if all this were gone, the New Year wouldn't feel like the New Year, and my hometown wouldn't feel like home anymore.
Countless newfangled things
I'm delighted by the abundance of picture books, yet I often feel a pang of sadness. Because my child can only discover this rich, colorful world through books. The chickens, ducks, fish, pigs, and rabbits that appear so often in picture books are rarely seen in the real world.
But back in my hometown, it's different. There are lively little rabbits hopping around the house. Feed them a carrot or a piece of cabbage, and only then can you truly understand what it means to "love carrots and cabbage";Giant carp swim freely in basins for endless viewing; occasionally, cattle and sheep pass right by the doorstep; birds nestle in the courtyard; pomelos hang heavy on the tree outside Grandma's house; sweet potatoes roasted over the stove taste far sweeter than city-bought ones; eggs can be gathered fresh from the nest; each day begins with the rooster's crow...