Confession | Buying a tent for a baby is actually a way to support yourself.

Confession | Buying a tent for a baby, literally, is my way of supporting myself.

I bought my one-year-old son a tent, just like I saw in my childhood picture book.

I excitedly set up a tent in his bedroom, imagined him playing in the house, reading a book, and falling asleep with a toy, but in fact, he ignored the cute little house, was interested in the paper box that put the tent in, crawled inside, knocked, laughed, and had fun.

At that moment, I realized that this little house was not his dream, but my dream. I compensated the little girl who wanted to have a secret hiding place but never got it.

It seems that our parents are nurturing themselves through our children, buying the toys we've dreamed of since childhood, giving them the art we want to learn, and giving them the friendships we're missing. We think we're satisfying our children, but in reality we're comforting the imperfect parts of ourselves.

There's no right or wrong in this. It's just a cycle of growth. Once we realize this, we'll be able to raise our children more relaxed. Abandon the idea of "giving the best to their children" and accept that what they like can be as simple as a box of paper or a handful of sand, enough to bring them happiness.

Now that little tent has become my reading corner, every day after my child falls asleep, I sit inside for a while, and the warm yellow light illuminates me today and myself in my childhood.

Perhaps raising a child is inherently a journey to reconciling ourselves, healing by giving, growing through sacrifice, and ultimately understanding that love is seeing a real child and accepting the true self.

# Insights on raising children # Reconciling yourself # Childhood compensation # The growth of raising children # The philosophy of raising children# Life needs sharing # Tent for kids