Letter No.12 Creaky Cranky

 

Bubu never looked at Thomas.

Instead, he kept gazing at Cranky all through his metro ride home.

Bubu seems to have his unique liking.

Standing at the ”Child Care Support Corner (kosodate shien kohnah)” of a metro car, 

facing Cranky's square face with his dark green body,

I asked myself a question:

"But WHAT ARE YOU Cranky?"  (*for answer, see below)

Outing is a big challenge for parents.

Few days ago, I was exchanging emails with a friend of mine who 

became a dad way before I did. 

He described that an outing with a newborn is like a "military expedition."

given all the supplies needed to venture out of the house.

like stroller, diapers, formula, bottles, wipes and tissue, 

hand towels, toys, pacifier, all the medical documents in case of emergency and the list never stops...

Another challenge, particularly in a place like Tokyo metropolis, is finding elevators.

Take the Tokyo Metro for instance.

Why the heck do they have to place an elevator in such a far place?

Can they install them more?

and how on earth can a poor parent find an elevator (even an escalator) when they need to go down to metro from the street entrance?

And I get most cranky,

when the escalator ends in the middle of the stairs

and you need to walk up the rest of the stairs holding the baby-filled stroller.

IT MAY BE JUST 18 STEPS TOKYO METRO,  

BUT THAT 18 STEPS ARE MAKING PARENTS' KNEES SQUEAK LIKE CRANKY!

kids-friendly "Thomas" paint wall may be helpful for parents.

But at least for me, 

I need more knee-friendly hands-on aid!

*According to Thomas wiki, cranky is a crane that has a high and mighty attitude and often annoys Thomas and his friends. In fact, Creaky Cranky is the very first episode of the 13 series of Thomas and Friends. Btw, I just learned that "engines" have the same meaning as "locomotives". The original title of Thomas and Friends is Thomas the Tank Engine. And according to the dictionary, the tank engine means a steam locomotive.