To Emily

It’s ok to complain sometimes. I’d like for you to depend on me from time to time. Don’t hold back!

From Mom

For something so short, I feel like it’s packed with lots of Japanese that are hard to get the nuance just right in English!

〜のもいいもの, is presenting an alternative and saying that’s good

ドーンときなさい, is literally, “come at me like, BOOM.”

How that helps!

And thank you for posting!!

To Emily,

You know, it’s fine to express to me your struggles sometimes. I’d like to be relied upon once in a while. Give me what you got! From Mom.

Interestingly, たまには (tamaniwa) is used twice here, it’s a nice succinct way to say sometimes, now and then, occasionally etc. depending on context. It’s tends to mean less often than ときどき, the more direct translation for “sometimes” in situations when they could be interchangeable.

It can be hard and I used to struggle with this playing games with only hiragana, to figure the meaning when the word division is unclear and some connector words like が or を are left out. In particular, the expression よわねはく is 弱音を吐く, but not knowing that expression you’d wonder if は is wa or ha, and if haku was 吐く(to spit up)or like 履く(like wearing shoes).