Why Do Children In Japan Obey Their Parents So Much?

In Japan a unique approach is used in raising their children, as they give children a care compared to a plant that requires nutrition, training and pruning for it to grow properly.

The timing of the development of certain abilities in children depends on the importance that culture places on that ability. Therefore, in Japan, where things like empathy and restricted display of emotions are valued, children can be expected to develop these customs from an early age.

Let’s see then some characteristics of the upbringing of Japanese parents.

Teaching with dependency in children

Japanese parenting techniques are fundamentally based on the notions of the dependence of children on the mother. From birth, mothers establish an intimate bond with their babies and continue to strengthen that connection throughout childhood.

As noted in an article titled “Early Childhood Discipline,” a multicultural review of child rearing practices published by the Kansas Association for Early Childhood and Early Childhood Mental Health, Japanese parents traditionally handle chores and children’s responsibilities (dressing, bathing, making the table, etc.) even in adolescence. As opposed to teaching children to be autonomous and independent.

Developing this extreme closeness is preferable to modeling, negotiation, and disciplinary techniques when it comes to raising children with social and moral values ​​in Japan.

It is tradition for Japanese mothers to rely on the intimate bond they have established with their children rather than punishment or other energetic methods to persuade and force children to behave appropriately.

The Role of Japanese mothers

Japanese mothers determine the education, hobbies, and even career paths that their children will develop and pursue. From this parenting technique, Japanese children learn to diligently obey and depend on the guidance and direction of their parents.

Mom’s role is to be extremely careful and selective in making exclusive decisions about where the children go, what they will eat, what activities they engage in, and what they will wear.

Things like babysitting, movie nights away from the baby, or weekend trips just for mom and dad are not common and not well accepted in Japanese culture.

The importance of teaching empathy

Considering how your actions impact others is crucial to maintaining one of the most valuable things in Japan: group harmony. This makes empathy the core of Japanese culture, and to no surprise, the core of Japanese upbringing.

While Western parents often demand compliance from their children (for example, through the use of verbal commands and punishment), Japanese mothers are known to constantly teach their children how their actions affect the feelings of others, or even the feelings of animals or objects.

Japanese children from an early age begin to absorb the importance of considering others before acting.

Child discipline in Japan: parents transmit their values ​​to their children

Parents provide children with close supervision and instruction, guiding their development in order to establish routines and patterns of behavior. However, this parental guidance gradually becomes less necessary as children are able to handle behavior patterns and routines on their own.

Japan is seen as a strict culture, which leads many foreign parents to think that Japanese parents apply too strict a set of rules. However, this is not always the case. While Western parents are more focused on enforcing rules and imposing punishments, Japanese parents tend to set more rules and not rely as much on punishment.

Obedience and cooperation go hand in hand

In Japan, children are part of small groups (sports, cultural, clubs in or out of school), which emphasize the importance of cooperation and harmony.

Peer pressure from these groups acts as normative agents, indirectly demanding compliance, and teaching children appropriate behavior and obedience.