The uproar over Japanese parents leaving a young boy in the woods to punish him has yet again ignited the debate on styles of parenting in eastern societies. The seven-year-old was found in a military tent on Friday, safe but weak and dehydrated. As his parents and the nation were relieved by the discovery of the boy after a week’s intense search, many didn’t have kind words for the family.
Yamato Tanooka, his father claimed, used to throw stones at vehicles and people. The couple, with daughter and son drove on a mountain road alongside a forest. To teach him a lesson, they asked the boy to get off the car and wait there till they were back after ‘five minutes’. Yamato complied and after about an hour the nation was consumed by the news of a child lost in woods infested by wild bears.
That the parents tried to discipline the child in a wrong way is proven. The contrite father appeared before the media and apologised to his son, the nation and the army for going too far to rein in the child.
Industrial societies offer less opportunity for parents to spend quality time with kids. Children, whose bodies and minds are relatively immature, find it hard to reconcile that their parents stay absorbed in work and can’t find time for them. The child suffers subconsciously, most of the time not letting the emotions surface.
Western societies, where industrialisation has reached a developed state, have inbuilt institutions to make parents feel closer to children and fostering a bond between the two. Paternity leave combined with long maternity break aims to makes child rearing a pleasant experience from an early stage of parenthood.
Liberal parenting techniques largely developed in the West are aimed at building an appealing personality given to good interpersonal relationships and a pleasant demeanour. Parenting in eastern societies leans towards authoritarianism — largely relying on the ‘stick approach’. Chinese mum Amy Chua’s Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother set the cat among the pigeons in the parenting world. Here was a mum who swore by an extremely strict style of parenting — going ballistic at her daughter for not completing tasks with perfection, and making her redo them.
Developmental psychologists argue against being too strict with children. A liberal style leads to balanced personalities with desirable traits. The key to good parenting is recognising that every child is different.
Yamato’s father made the mistake of not addressing the root cause of his child’s aggressive behaviour. He should have consulted a counselor instead of doing something that had the world scrutinising his actions.
The uproar over Japanese parents leaving a young boy in the woods to punish him has yet again ignited the debate on styles of parenting in eastern societies. The seven-year-old was found in a military tent on Friday, safe but weak and dehydrated. As his parents and the nation were relieved by the discovery of the boy after a week’s intense search, many didn’t have kind words for the family.
Yamato Tanooka, his father claimed, used to throw stones at vehicles and people. The couple, with daughter and son drove on a mountain road alongside a forest. To teach him a lesson, they asked the boy to get off the car and wait there till they were back after ‘five minutes’. Yamato complied and after about an hour the nation was consumed by the news of a child lost in woods infested by wild bears.
That the parents tried to discipline the child in a wrong way is proven. The contrite father appeared before the media and apologised to his son, the nation and the army for going too far to rein in the child.
Industrial societies offer less opportunity for parents to spend quality time with kids. Children, whose bodies and minds are relatively immature, find it hard to reconcile that their parents stay absorbed in work and can’t find time for them. The child suffers subconsciously, most of the time not letting the emotions surface.
Western societies, where industrialisation has reached a developed state, have inbuilt institutions to make parents feel closer to children and fostering a bond between the two. Paternity leave combined with long maternity break aims to makes child rearing a pleasant experience from an early stage of parenthood.
Liberal parenting techniques largely developed in the West are aimed at building an appealing personality given to good interpersonal relationships and a pleasant demeanour. Parenting in eastern societies leans towards authoritarianism — largely relying on the ‘stick approach’. Chinese mum Amy Chua’s Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother set the cat among the pigeons in the parenting world. Here was a mum who swore by an extremely strict style of parenting — going ballistic at her daughter for not completing tasks with perfection, and making her redo them.
Developmental psychologists argue against being too strict with children. A liberal style leads to balanced personalities with desirable traits. The key to good parenting is recognising that every child is different.
Yamato’s father made the mistake of not addressing the root cause of his child’s aggressive behaviour. He should have consulted a counselor instead of doing something that had the world scrutinising his actions.
