Parenting in Japan and the World

6 November, 2025

____________

During this class we talked about different ways of parenting, which was ideal for me because I could compare three styles: Dutch, Japanese, and Kurdish parenting. Parenting is something I find very interesting, especially because I want to become a parent myself in the future. It was nice to reflect not only on how I think about parenting, but also to hear how other students view it.

The Japanese way of parenting feels quite similar to the Dutch one to me, as both give children a lot of freedom and allow them to make their own decisions. My own experience was a bit different, because my mother was stricter and taught me clearly which decisions were good and which were not, especially when it came to school. Most of the time my Dutch friends were allowed to do more things, while I often had to say that I couldn't join and had to go home earlier. But after getting older, I started to understand why she did that, it was to discipline me and guide me to the right path. Moving from a city in a chaotic neighborhood to a village has definitely helped me with this.  

I already mentioned that I want to be a parent myself one day. During the lesson, we watched a video about the daily life of a Japanese mother. For me, her lifestyle looked quite chaotic and extremely busy. I prefer a more peaceful and flexible family life, where the schedule is less intense and there is more time to spend together as a family. The husband came home late and didn't see his children, for me that is the life I am trying to prevent and have more flexible work by starting my own business. 

'Work smarter - not harder' - (Mamend, 2025)



Reacties

  1. cary10 november 2025 om 22:13

    Good luck!

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  2. Felicia10 november 2025 om 22:13

    Same here, I was also raised by strict parents and didn't understanding until I got older.

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  3. Emilija10 november 2025 om 22:21

    Ir was a very sincere analysis, rly liked how u talked about your own personal experience.

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