I’m Nanami. I live with my husband, Tatsuya, and our third-grade son, Riku—just the three of us. I always wanted a child after we got married, but once Riku was born, I realized just how hard parenting really is. Still, Riku is a treasure beyond compare. I have to raise him well and help him grow into a good adult. For the nine years since he was born, that’s all I’ve thought about. It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say I’ve given everything for Riku. I believed that was what a parent should do, and I accepted that kind of life.
Riku is our greatest treasure. Because of him, I can keep going. He’s the one who showed me a whole new world. I’ve lived each day thinking I’d do anything to help him grow into a strong, capable adult.
And then… Riku stopped going to school. At first, we tried everything to get him to go, but he refused so strongly that now we’ve decided to accept his feelings when he says, “I don’t want to.” Instead, I told myself I’d do my best to support his studies, so he could return to school anytime he was ready.