Today, my husband, elder son, and second son planned to go to an Internet cafe (I planned to stay home alone and relax). However, when they checked the availability on the website before 9:00 a.m., they found that the family room was already full.
My second son watches Youtube videos in internet cafes. Even though headphones are available, it is difficult for a 4-year-old to be silent for several hours, so we always made sure to enter the family room, which is a private soundproofed room. If they cannot enter the family room, it is a bit difficult to take second son to the Internet cafe. If it is just dad and the older son, they just read manga, so it doesn't have to be a family room.
So I suggested to my second son that he stay home with me. 'Why don't you buy some snacks and play some games at home?' I told him. He agreed surprisingly easily. "Oh, you're buying me candy! I'll do it then", he said. I am grateful that he is not a picky eater at times like this. I felt like I had caught him with sweets, but he didn't seem to be holding back and seemed to be happy, so I guess it was okay.
He said, "I want to go to a candy store". There is an old-fashioned candy store in our neighborhood, so I decided to take him there. I was thinking how nice and cheap it would be, but he took his wallet and put on his shoes, saying, "I want to buy something with my own money.
At the candy store, he was very serious about picking out candy. I like candy shops too. I remember going back to my calligraphy class when I was in elementary school. My mother would give me money to go to the class to pay for the paper and ink, but if I could write well and save the money for paper and ink, I could use the rest of the money to buy some candy. I remember that I liked acorn gum (gum coated with candy) and used to buy it often.
My second son paid for the coins himself, but he still does not seem to understand the value of the coins. When he got his change, the number of coins increased, so he was happy and said, "I got more candy and more money!", he was happy.
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今日は父ちゃん・長男・次男の3人でインターネットカフェに行く予定でした（私は家で一人のんびりの予定）。しかし、朝9時前にHPで空席チェックをしたところ、ファミリールームはすでに満席状態・・・。
次男はネットカフェではYoutubeを観ます。ヘッドホンがあるとはいえ4歳児が数時間黙っていることは難しいので、必ず防音個室のファミリールームに入るようにしていました。なのでファミリールームに入れないとなると、次男を連れてネットカフェに行くのはちょっと厳しいのです・・・（父ちゃんと長男だけであれば黙って漫画を読むだけなので、ファミリールームである必要はありません）。
そこで、次男には私とお留守番することを提案してみました。お菓子を買って、家でゲームでもしたらどう？と。
次男は意外とあっさり承諾しました。「え、お菓子買ってくれるの！じゃあそれで」と🤣こういう時、あまり駄々を捏ねない子なのでありがたいです。お菓子で釣った感はありますが、我慢しているようでもなく喜んでいる感じだったので、まあ良いのかな。
「どこに買いに行く？と訊くと、「駄菓子屋さんに行きたい」とのこと。近所に昔ながらの駄菓子屋さんがあるので、そこへ連れて行くことにしました。安上がりでいいなあ～なんて思っていたら、「自分のお金で買いたい」とお財布を持って靴を履く次男（自分で買うのか！笑）。
駄菓子屋さんは、真剣にお菓子を選んでいました。駄菓子屋さんは私も好きです。小学生の頃の、書道教室の帰りを思い出します。母に半紙代、墨汁代をもらって教室に行くのですが、上手に書けて半紙代や墨汁代を節約できれば、残りのお金で駄菓子を買うことができました。どんぐりガム（ガムの周りを飴でコーティングしたお菓子）が好きで、よく買っていた覚えがあります。
次男は自分でお金を払いましたが、硬貨の価値はまだ分からないようです。おつりをもらったら硬貨の枚数が増えたので、「お菓子をもらえてお金も増えた！」と喜んでいました。