haha ha kodomo no sode ga nurenai you ni, taoru wo kata ni kaketa.

は marks 母 as the topic: As for the mother, ...

That fits this sentence because the mother is the main person we are talking about, and the rest of the sentence tells what she did.

If you used が, it would sound more like you were identifying or emphasizing the mother as the subject, as in It was the mother who... That is possible in some contexts, but は is the more neutral choice here.

It means the child’s sleeves.

Here, の links the two nouns:

• 子供 = child
• 袖 = sleeve

So 子供の袖 is a possessive relationship: the sleeves of the child.

Because ぬれる means to get wet, and it is an intransitive verb.

That means the thing that gets wet is marked as the subject, not the object. So:

• 袖がぬれる = the sleeves get wet

Not:

• 袖をぬれる ❌

So in this sentence, 袖 is the thing that would get wet, which is why it takes が.

It means so that it won’t get wet or in order to keep it from getting wet.

The pattern is:

• plain form + ように

In this sentence:

• 袖がぬれないように = so that the sleeves won’t get wet

This ように expresses purpose or aim.

Because grammar patterns like ように normally attach to the plain form.

So even in a polite sentence, the verb before ように stays plain:

• ぬれないように
• 忘れないように
• 見えるように

If you wanted to make the whole sentence polite, you would usually make the final verb polite instead:

• 母は子供の袖がぬれないように、タオルを肩にかけました。

Yes, but the meaning focus changes.

• ぬれる = to get wet
• ぬらす = to make something wet

So:

• 袖がぬれないように = so that the sleeves do not get wet
• 袖をぬらさないように = so that someone does not wet the sleeves

The sentence you have focuses on the state of the sleeves. It sounds natural because the important point is preventing the sleeves from becoming wet.

Here, かけた means draped, placed over, or hung over.

So:

• タオルを肩にかけた = put a towel over the shoulder(s)

This is a very common use of かける with things like towels, blankets, glasses, or clothes, depending on context.

Because に marks the place/target where the towel is put.

• タオルを = the towel is the direct object
• 肩に = onto the shoulder(s)

So the structure is:

• タオルを 肩に かけた
• put the towel onto/over the shoulder(s)

If you used 肩を, it would not fit this pattern.

Japanese often leaves that unstated when it is clear from context.

Here, the most natural reading is the child’s shoulders, because the purpose is to keep the child’s sleeves from getting wet.

So English may need to make that explicit, but Japanese does not have to.

Japanese often uses a body-part noun in a form that looks singular even when English would naturally use the plural.

So:

• 肩にかけた can naturally mean put over the shoulders

This is very normal. Japanese does not always match English singular/plural habits.

No. ように has several uses.

Learners often first meet よう in comparisons, such as like or as if, but in this sentence it is a different use.

Here, ように means so that or in order that.

So this is not:

• like the sleeves don’t get wet

It is:

• so that the sleeves don’t get wet

The comma separates the purpose part from the main action:

• 子供の袖がぬれないように、
• タオルを肩にかけた。

It helps the reader process the sentence more easily. Japanese commas are often more flexible than English commas, but this use is very natural.

Both are possible.

• ぬれない
• 濡れない

Kana is often used when:

• the text wants to be easier to read
• the kanji is considered a bit less common or less necessary
• the material is aimed at learners or children

So this is mostly a writing-style choice, not a grammar difference.

A helpful way to break it down is:

• 母は = as for the mother
• 子供の袖がぬれないように = so that the child’s sleeves would not get wet
• タオルを肩にかけた = she draped a towel over the shoulder(s)

So the sentence is:

[Topic] + [purpose clause] + [main action]

That is a very common Japanese sentence pattern.