Holding my very first Japanese infant...they can't get much cuter than Japanese babies...and something about them is always so calm and peaceful, in contrast to babies back home, who are usually screaming their tops off or bitching that they want everything they see. I have seen a Japanese kid crying maybe 3 times. It must be a result of their environment...the atmosphere here and the way parents are makes their kids just a lot more observant and at peace with their baby-ness. This is a 3 month old girl, and she is the daughter of Sabbath's master...His wife introduced me to the baby (her first foreigner!) and I taught her a little English too...
posted by Erik @ 10:26 PM
8 comments
8 Comments:
there is actually a theory that the reason japanese babies don't appear to cry as much as western babies is because they don't have to. japanese mothering is very different to western mothering. in japan children sleep with their mothers til they are as old as 3 or 4 years . their every whim is immediately seen to. in this society children are treated like little gods. even on trains and buses this is evident. adults are expected to get up for children and let them sit down. even in the school sysytem the students are treated like kings and queens. in the west babies and small children sleep in a cot and after a few months the cot is often in a seperate room. western babies need to cry loudly to be heard. in the west with the exception of very young babies, children are expected to stand up and let adults sit down. some theories even go as far as to suggest that is why westerners are generally more independant and louder than japanese.
so you see there is reason why japanese babies appear so placid. but you are right about one thing, they are super cute.
cool. I hear ya. Thanks Mr. Anonymous!
ms. actually and i'd leave my name except you don't know me at all so seems pointless. i'm an alt.
ha ha but I tricked you into telling me you're a girl. Except I don't know who you are anyway. Nice to meet you!
ok i guess i can share my name! it's kelly. i've lived in niigata for 3 years. started reading your blog because i was really bored in work one day. blame martin mc cloud, there's a link on his blog! entertaining stuff.
oh! cool. Hi Kelly! Nice to meetcha. Thanks for reading! Glad I can keep you entertained. Do you know Martin? What part of Niigata?
yes i know martin. well enough for him to have a christmas dinner at my apartment! he plays football with my boyfriend. i also know debs. i live in niigata city. i was on jet for 2 years, signed to leave, then couldn't actually bring myself to leave so now i'm a private jhs alt. you may have seen me at the jet seminars. i'm the fiery,opionated, irish girl! i'm sure we will meet soon enough;-)
Irish girl...hmmm...not ringing any bells. So then I guess you're sticking around longer if you're off JET? I'm sure I'll see you around soon enough, then we can have a conversation in a less strange setting than a weblog. Come see us in T-Town sometime. I'll probably be at the prefectural orientation too in August...
Post a Comment
<< Home