Parenting methods in Japan are considered the pillars for an exemplary society and for children to grow up healthy, prevailing their emotional well-being and enhancing their intellectual and physical abilities.
The children of Japan are loved no less than the children of Western countries. But being able to fit into society is the beginning and the end of the society they are becoming. What does that mean for education?
A Japanese breeding method that should be imitated
If you agree with the philosopher Confucius, a person’s first seven years are the phase of innocence. According to him, children still can’t use their minds right now.
Therefore, in this period of life they should be pampered like wrens and patiently educated, it is their principle. This understanding shapes education in Asia, especially Japan, to this day.
Children are not explicitly treated as little adults, but, in the strictest sense of the word, as immature people who are still completely dependent on their environment.
Quiet children in Japan
Western Europeans traveling in Japan will find the children to be remarkably calm, well-adjusted and good-tempered, rarely whining or attracting attention with their rebelliousness.
At first glance, the Japanese descendants seem to behave much better than the children of our latitudes. Researchers used to attribute these behavioral differences to genes, but today we know that it is mainly due to the high expectations Japanese society has of its members. Parents always keep this in mind when raising their children, as the following principles impressively show.
Child’s needs are met
There is a saying in Japan: “For a child there is never hunger.” Figuratively speaking, this applies to almost every area of a Japanese teenager’s life. This is helped by the generally cramped living conditions.
Japanese houses are built in a very open and flexible way, so there is no spatial separation between parents and children, and the needs of the children can always be addressed.
There are almost no opportunities to retire, the family lives as a unit. The family association sleeps, lives and eats in the same room. For a bit of privacy, only movable walls made of paper are usually installed. The children sleep in the immediate vicinity of their mother, the smallest right on the mat next to her. So the child is always within reach of the mother, and for the child she is always close to her.
At the moment, the environment is almost completely open to fulfilling the wishes and needs of the little ones, who can be sure of the unrestricted attention of their parents. They don’t even need to compete for affection and attention. This basic attitude means that Japanese children appear calm and balanced.
Children are not a nuisance or a burden
Stressed-out parents in this country know them: the bewildered looks from others when the child screams and doesn’t want to calm down at all. While the number of hotels and child-free zones in Western Europe is increasing, in Japan children are not perceived as a nuisance, neither within the family nor in public spaces.
Guests in a restaurant would never roll their eyes when children make noise. The behavior is politely and patiently ignored. His presence is expressly desired, his childish behavior is not only approved but respected.
children are everywhere
Harmony and a sense of community are very important in Japan, especially because of the lessons the country has learned from its past.
Good family and social cohesion has always been essential for survival in times of war. This attitude is also reflected in the upbringing of children. To ensure that the community is strengthened and sustained, children are involved everywhere from an early age.
This refers in particular to the many ceremonial festivities and their strict rituals. These include regular family visits, congratulatory and condolence visits, and family councils.
From a young age, they learn the importance of being a worthy member of their family. From the Japanese point of view, the best way.
punishments are undesirable
However, if a Japanese child misbehaves, his parents show the patience of an angel to restore order. Traditional cajoling and storytelling should teach little ones values and desired behaviors in an entertaining way.
It is effective when referring to the evil spirits that always punish evil in Japanese literature. Outbursts of anger, beatings or punishments against children are rare in Japan. In Japanese society, emotional outbursts are an expression of immaturity and humiliation and are therefore frowned upon.
Guidance and safety
The expectations that Japanese children have to live up to in the family also apply to them outside their own four walls. The same rules apply everywhere, restricting personal freedom to express themselves, but at the same time offering guidance and security.