We will introduce some works from the collection of works in past Oyako Day Essay contest.
I COULD HAVE PICKED A BETTER MOTHER
Always at work, never at home; oh, how I hated my mother.
When I thought I heard her at home, I’d find her standing there at the kitchen sink with her back to me.
By middle school, I was fed up with everything. One day something happened at school that bothered me and everything went haywire. At home, I blew my top and turned on my mother.
“If only I could have chosen my mother ! I would’ve picked a better one !!”
I could see I’d really hurt her. Suddenly, I felt so lost. She left the kitchen without a word, and I chased after her.
“You’re not interested in anything I have to say. I know how much you hate me !!” I blurted out at my mother whom I’d cornered on the toilet. I’d actually followed her there because her reaction in the kitchen worried me so, but I didn’t have the guts to tell her at the time, much less to apologize.
After high school, I went to college abroad. I started to notice how much I was skyping her. When something went wrong, I’d always call her on skype and have it out with her. And if anything nice happened, she’d always be the first to get the news. When I came home to visit, Mom would always ask, “What would you like to eat? How ’bout some sushi?” And I’d always answer the same way, “No, I want your cooking. Anything you make is the best.”
Whenever I was happy, she was happy with me. When I was angry, she took the sting from my wrath. She was always there for me. That’s who my mother is.
My mother did always keep her back to me in the kitchen, but it never meant she hated me. She was there to make a meal for me no matter how busy she’d been at work. And her food was always the best. Very soon I will be having my own child. And now I stand alongside my mother at the kitchen where she’s teaching me how to cook. And we joke about all the horrible things I used to say.
Now, I have the guts to tell you.
I’m sorry for what I put you through.
If I could have chosen a mother, it’s you I’d pick; now, then, and forever.
Famale | Hyōgo Prefecture
