My diary & My response
Qiuxuan Jin

The lifelong companionship of growing up in Chinese families is surrounded by the marks of "burdened love" and "self-sacrificial love" of Chinese-style parents. Phrases like "I'm doing it for your own good," "I just want you to be happy," "Your happiness is my greatest joy," and "You are my child, who else can I confide in?" fill our childhoods.
For children, this love is both a manifestation of parental affection and something they reject. They are forced to accept this "love" under emotional constraints, accumulating its weight upon them. This kind of love can become an excessive burden.
Perhaps, for parents, the times they inadvertently cause scars in their children's childhood are just an ordinary Wednesday afternoon.
The two picture books are each from the perspective of a mother and a child, using diary entries and responses to record their different views on the same event. I hope to foster parent-child bonding and family understanding, encouraging reflection among parents who may have had similar experiences. For future parents, I aim to evoke empathy and remind them of the parent they aspire to become.

