So i only saw a few episodes and know how people share the fact they can walk and do many things themselves by a certain age etc. but i know to take this show with a grain of salt and know there’s more to it than meets the eye in terms of just assuming all toddlers are just super independent. But i wonder about other accepts of the kids life. Cause when americans try to learn about this independency toddlers have in japan, people only talk about the “going out and using transport themselves”. i don’t hear anything about what they are like at home. How much they are able to entertain themselves, how long they can focus on an activity, etc. Maybe other cultures talk about how young toddlers/kids are given chores, while others just have the kids at daycare if the family can’t balance work/housework/childcare.
So how are these parents encouraging enough independency in their toddlers at an age that most parents are told is impossible? location and environment aside, how are these parents raising a toddler that appears more sure in themselves to not rely on having their parents undivided attention 24/7-enough to go to a quick market run- as opposed to american kids?
Edit: So i know the show is probably played more than reality to draw conclusions, but again my question is more like what the life of these kids are like at home that they feel comfortable enough to not be with the mom 24/7 at such a young age. Like do they do chores and not have as much play time at home? that’s more what i mean
https://www.reddit.com/r/japan/comments/11m8oxn/question_about_japanese_kids_after_watching_old/
7 comments
I think a lot of that show was played up for the cameras. I believe there was an article somewhere stating there was crew members disguised ensuring the children’s safety.
That being said I have noticed Japanese children being given a lot more responsibilities than to those of the west.
It’s impossible to draw generalisations based on a carefully crafted TV show.
Consider that it’s heavily edited, and that almost all the adults seen on screen are show crew members carefully positioned for the children’s safety.
As for what the nation’s kids are like behind closed doors, well, again, it’s impossible to know, isn’t it. The only generalisation one can draw is that the same trends seen elsewhere are most likely seen here too – for example a general trend away from outdoor social play to indoor solo screen time, among other things.
I bumped into my friend’s kids aged 7 and 5 taking books back to the library by themselves. It’s a 10 min walk (20 for them) in a very busy part of Tokyo.
OTOH they are too scared to stay home by themselves.
Sat on trains with 6 year olds going to their shogakko 20 plus kilometers away by themselves. For the most part the whole takes a village to raise a kid kind of thing.
Fwiw, I asked my teacher who’s native Japanese about this after watching the show myself. He said originally, the show started out with teenagers and kids around that age and generally became more and more sensationalized over time to get more shock value, thus bringing the age of the kids further and further down.
After that I really didn’t think it was indicative of the reality. On top of that these kids have camera crews following them so it’s not entirely accurate I’d argue.
The camera people are soooo obvious lol. Its a super cute show, but i don’t think it should be copied irl. A 3 year old going shopping? Lol
It’s a television show for entertainment. Toddlers aren’t going to the shops by themselves.
Elementary kids here walk to school in groups by themselves. But kindergarteners go to/from school with their parents.
For example, our first year elementary lad gets taken to the walking group meeting spot by us. But we usually go and meet him when he leaves school. Having said that, he can sometimes walk back by himself via the designated route.
Our yochien lad gets taken to/from the school bus pickup/dropoff point by us. If for some reason we are not there to pick up our child, they’ll take him back to the school and call us to find out what’s wrong. Little ones aren’t supposed to be left by themselves.