To be a friend with your children

Today, I grabbed my laptop and a book and headed to a cafe. It's been a while since I've felt like going to a cafe alone, and as usual, I encountered some really sweet people and heartwarming moments that made my day.

I met a woman and her 5-6 year old daughter at the cafe. The woman took out her laptop and some books for her daughter and set them up on the table. She guided her daughter on which exercise to do, how many pages to write, and pointed out the difficult words first. Once they were done, she said to her daughter: "Now, let's each do our own thing."

And so, mother and daughter sat there working for over a few hours. Every now and then, the little girl would look up and ask her mom if she had written a word correctly, then she would go back to writing diligently.

Near the end, the mom asked:

• Would you like to eat vegetarian food?
• Yes, please.
• Okay, let's go to our usual place.
• Yes, mom.

Then, the mother and daughter moved to sit outside and read for a while before going home.

Wow, it was the first time I've seen a 'work date' between a mother and her child. Now I understand what it means to be friend with your children. Seeing their deep connection, I longed to be the kind of mother who could sit side-by-side with my child, exploring new things together, and feeling the warmth of family.