8 Japanese Parenting Rules All Kids Need

All kids are a joy to be around, but Japanese children are some of the most polite, friendly, and well-behaved you’ll ever meet. They don’t let their feelings run wild. In Japan, you’ll rarely meet a child who’s crying in the supermarket (though there are always exceptions to the rule).

Bright Side thinks that we ought to learn some upbringing tricks from Japanese parents. So we’ve collected the main principles of raising children in the Land of the Rising Sun. So if your parenting rules aren’t doing the trick, maybe give these tips a try! If it works for people in Japan, it might just work for you!

TIMESTAMPS:
Storytelling is a top priority 0:46
The mother-child bond is very close 1:35
Rules are more important than punishment 2:23
The community is involved in parenting 3:02
The child’s nutrition is spot on 3:56
Children must think of others 4:54
Children are highly independent 5:38
Parents discipline their children in private 6:21

#japan #japanesekids #parentingtips

SUMMARY:
- Japanese parents take special care into passing on their traditions and telling their kids about their country's history through fairy tales.
- Japanese mothers have a belief that children are initially disconnected from parents and that they need to become dependent on the mother through physical touch.
- Kids in Japan are often involved in sports teams, creative groups, and any club or gathering that will teach them to cooperate with others and follow pre-set guidelines.
- Japanese kids are taught to always respect and honor their grandparents and all elders. Even elders who are strangers to the children are considered trustworthy and must be respected!
- In Japan, children always have a balanced meal. Their parents prepare a nutritional lunch that usually includes some rice, vegetables, soup, and lean meat.
- From a very early age, parents in Japan teach their children to think of others before they speak or act, so it’s very uncommon to see a child crying uncontrollably or being aggressive in public.
- In Japan, kids as young as seven years old get to travel to school by themselves. The Japanese get away with this because they have a phenomenal public transport system and one of the lowest crime rates in the world.
- Many parents discipline their kids in the presence of others, but Japanese parents tend to do it behind doors and away from prying eyes.

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[BRIGHTSIDEOFFICIAL]

Hey there, which of these rules surprised you the most?

[sisonkekhwaza]

saw a lot of this in South Korea, children are so respectful. I mistakenly stepped on a 5/6 year old girl foot in the subway in SK, she didn't even cry but I could see the pain in her beautiful eyes I apologized like 10 times and she just kept on saying ok ok ok with teary eyes 😭 I'll never forget this

[SakuragiSayo]

I’m Japanese, born and raised in Japan. Have been living in The United States for only 2years. I’m fluent in Japanese and English. I made the majority of my lunches while I was in school. Cooking is very relaxing and very enjoyable to/for me. BRIGHT SIDE, I really appreciate you sharing a bit of my country’s culture. ありがとう。

[lc]

I am quite sure that Japanese parents take their children's education very seriously. I have also noticed that Japanese children seem to excel at talents such as music and other talents.

[Wigconic.]

TIMESTAMPS:
Storytelling is a top priority 0:46
The mother-child bond is very close 1:35
Rules are more important than punishment 2:23
The community is involved in parenting 3:02
The child's nutrition is spot on 3:56
Children must think of others 4:54
Children are highly independent 5:38
Parents discipline their children in private 6:21

[naomibites]

discipline in the philippines - slipper, hanger, belt etc. 🤣

[trashemail]

I am Japanese, raised in Japan for 9 years before I moved to US.
Here are somethings that I analyzed as true:
The story telling.
Strong mother-child bond: Although true, it's also due to the strong gender role that is placed on women. They will be viewed in society as "shameful" if a woman with a child ever have a relaxing night to herself. The bathing and sleeping part is true. Funny enough, the close bond disappears in our teenage years because so many children have a terrible rebellious stage.
Rules: OMG. The American parents don't seem to punish their children at all. In Japan, we have corporeal punishment. It's practically guaranteed if you break the rule. Sometimes, the more traditional teacher does slap the students hand too.
Respect: We really do respect our elders. On any public transport, children are to give their seat up for the seniors if there are no more seats available.
Nutrition: Yup, we have a balanced meal. No one skips breakfast. And our cafeteria's food is made by a degree earned nutritionists.
Independent: Yup we are. I walked to my school since I was in kindergarten. In 3rd grade, I rode a 1 hour train ride to school by myself everyday.
Punishment: Kind of true. We don't yell in public. We get slapped in public and get whispered yelled.
Here is what's wrong:
The song used is sounds more Chinese than Japanese. lol
Children must think of others: Ok, we do act VERY polite. But that's a facade. There is such a severe bulling going on in Japan, often so severe that students turn to suicide. I too was a victim of one, not that it's rare. I was pushed into the road, shoved down the stairs, and have had huge rocks thrown at me. And I was in SECOND GRADE. That's how severe it is. And it's not a story unheard of.

[ellalarkin]

I am Irish, and that is exactly how I brought up my children, except for the walking to school alone part, I always brought them to school when they were small. They turned out to be lovely, happy, stable, well-mannered, very popular and independent young people, so it works.

[g.j]

When I'm gonna have a child. I will raise my child this way. 😊 Such an art in raising a child.

[climjf]

If we left something valuable at place and forgot about it, for eg: mobile phone, we can come back after several hours and it will still be there..
That is the most amazing thing about the Japanese.

[freespiritable]

Mother child bond is important in every culture.

[leabell]

I'm British but my mum followed all of these rules and always got told us 6 kids were so well behaved. She had 6 girls, I'm a triplet so she followed extrem discipline with rules. I'd follow the same rules because I know they work. My youngest sister is 3 and I parent her with the same rules if I'm around 😂 she literally is so disciplined. No hitting or smacking of children is needed if you teach them right! ❤️

[azabujuban-hito-dake]

Im living in Tokyo ( been living here for almost 11 years ) and I part-timed in local schools. Yes, this video is quite true. The first time I taught in here; I was surprised that students serving lunch to others, washing the utensils together AND clean the classroom ( along with the teachers ).

[rickpicone]

Most of the kids I've seen that were that well behaved in the US are usually home schooled.

[hlengiwezungu]

I may be black African but I raised my children almost exactly that way

[robingloves]

Surely I’m not the only one who always got the... “Just wait until we get home.” From my Momma. And as a kid you already know once you hear that. Game over dude.

[HealthySelfNThrive]

I don't have any children but I grew up in a extremely opposite culture. Which is why I take it upon myself to teach my siblings as the older sibling to be better humans. I'd love to visit japan one day

[rivertam]

Apparently I was raised Japanese, though I'm Australian. Most of these things apply to those of us who were raised before the 90s.

[vidhyasubhashsubhash]

I live in India but i love both India and Japan they are so unique. Thank u BRIGHT SIDE .

[HARTSFRLVVY]

I'm a Japanese girl and I was raised by my Japanese parents they were so kind to me and moved to New York City with my Japanese parents It was great