This is the year that my niece is going to elementary school, and I, living in the U.S., have been looking forward to the countdown to the first day of school in April, as I often look at my calendar.

When I visited to Japan in March, my niece showed me her school bag. Since she is smaller than the other children, her school bag looks even bigger.

On the day of the school opening ceremony, I was looking forward to the pictures coming from my sister. Until last month, she couldn't even go to the bathroom by herself, but she woke up on time, got ready, and even urged her sister, "Mom, it's time to go.

The first day she went to school with her parents, but from the second day, my niece goes to school by herself. She woke up on time as well, and her mother took her to the road to drop her off.

It was the same road they used to walk to kindergarten together every day until recently. My niece started to walk alone, carrying her big school bag.

The mother expected her daughter to look back at least a little bit, but she never looked back and went straight ahead.

Just, just looking ahead.

It was the parents who couldn't keep up with the change in their child, and my sister was depressed for a couple of days, but after a while she seemed to accept it.

My niece is almost 6 years old. For her birthday, I'm going to get her new shoes instead of a stuffed animal.

姪っ子が小学校へ上がる年になった。4月の始業式へのカウントダウンはアメリカに住む私もカレンダーをちょくちょく見るようになり、楽しみにしていた。

3月に日本へ帰国したとき、姪っ子がランドセルを見せてくれた。彼女は他の子供たちに比べて体が小さいので、ランドセルがより一層大きく見える。

いよいよ始業式の日、私は妹から来る写真を楽しみにしていた。先月まではトイレにも一人で行けなかったのに、きちんと時間通りに起きて、支度して、「ママ、行く時間だよ」と妹をせかせるほどだ。

初日は親と一緒に学校へ行ったが、２日目からは姪っ子一人で通学する。いってきます！と同じように時間通りに起き、母は道路まで娘を送りに出した。

ついこの間まで、幼稚園へ毎日のように二人で通った道。手を繋いで二人で歩いた道を、姪っ子は大きなランドセルをしょって、一人で歩き始めた。

母は、娘がちょっとでも振り向くかと期待したが、娘は一度も振り返らず、まっすぐと進んで行ったらしい。

ただ、ただ、前をみて。

子供の変化についていけないのは親の方で、妹は２、３日落ち込んだが、しばらくするとそれを受け入れたようだ。

姪っ子はもうすぐ6歳になる。誕生日にはぬいぐるみではなく、新しい靴を贈ろうと思う。