I’m Ayano, and I’m raising two kids—Kou, who’s four, and Mimi, who’s two—with my husband, Hiroshi. We’ve always had a great relationship with my cheerful and kind in-laws, making sure to get out and do things together regularly. Recently, however, my sister-in-law, Kyoko, went through her second divorce. I was told that she and her two boys, Taro (eight) and Jiro (five), had moved into the neighborhood near the in-laws. When my mother-in-law asked, “Do you mind if we invite Kyoko and the kids to the zoo?” I agreed without hesitation. And so, the day arrived.
I imagine going through a divorce is far more challenging than I could ever truly understand. My sister-in-law and my nephews seem like they’re having a good time, but I know they must be carrying so much on their shoulders. I didn’t know what to say to them—anything I could think of just felt like empty sympathy.
When my husband started giving our kids piggyback rides, it naturally turned into him giving the boys rides too. My sister-in-law and my mother-in-law were getting all excited about it, but honestly, I had mixed feelings. My mother-in-law’s comment about “all of us supporting each other” has been weighing on me, too. Maybe it didn’t mean anything deep, but I can’t shake this uneasy, lingering feeling in the back of my mind.