There were a hundred babies in the school gym today. The 3rd year students took care of them for around two hours. The students played, fed and put the babies to sleep. They tried to keep the babies smiling. Some were successful and some looked like they had difficulty in carrying the babies and taking care of them. But all of the students I talked with agree with one thing- the babies are so cute!
Japanese babies are really cute. All of the babies I saw today have chinky eyes and fat cheeks. They have the kind of cheeks I would like to pinch again and again. They are all on the chubby side. I don't think all babies are chubby because I saw a lot of skin-thin babies back in the Philippines. But well this is Japan, they go to great lengths to ensure babies, and children, are healthy. Must be because of the shrinking population.
In fact, within a few months that I've been here, I learned that...
1.) The greatest crime anyone can commit in Japan is harming a child. Forget your life if you killed a child whether accidentally or not. It also doesn't matter if the child is partly to blame.
2.) When a baby is born, he or she will receive a cash gift from the government.
3.) Train and bus fares for children are half the price. Some establishments also slash their prices in half for children customers.
4.) As much as possible, do not reprimand a child. For Japanese teachers, they think that the students are quite emotionally delicate.
5.) As much as possible do not wake up a sleeping child in class. Yes, most teachers allow students to sleep in class.
In simple terms, the child, and not the Emperor, is the most important citizen in Japan. I just hope that these Japanese children will realize how the Japanese society put a premium on them unlike other countries that neglect the youngest population. I hope they realize that they were cute and chubby babies once because they were well taken care of.
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| photo credit: http://spencerandkylie.blogspot.jp/2009/08/when-in-rome.html |
Japanese babies are really cute. All of the babies I saw today have chinky eyes and fat cheeks. They have the kind of cheeks I would like to pinch again and again. They are all on the chubby side. I don't think all babies are chubby because I saw a lot of skin-thin babies back in the Philippines. But well this is Japan, they go to great lengths to ensure babies, and children, are healthy. Must be because of the shrinking population.
In fact, within a few months that I've been here, I learned that...
1.) The greatest crime anyone can commit in Japan is harming a child. Forget your life if you killed a child whether accidentally or not. It also doesn't matter if the child is partly to blame.
2.) When a baby is born, he or she will receive a cash gift from the government.
3.) Train and bus fares for children are half the price. Some establishments also slash their prices in half for children customers.
4.) As much as possible, do not reprimand a child. For Japanese teachers, they think that the students are quite emotionally delicate.
5.) As much as possible do not wake up a sleeping child in class. Yes, most teachers allow students to sleep in class.
In simple terms, the child, and not the Emperor, is the most important citizen in Japan. I just hope that these Japanese children will realize how the Japanese society put a premium on them unlike other countries that neglect the youngest population. I hope they realize that they were cute and chubby babies once because they were well taken care of.
