Q Why are Japanese mothers overly soft on their children?

A Warrior society of long ago maintained strict discipline. One was not recognized as a fullfledged adu lt unless one could properly deal with people one came across outside of the home, to say nothing of within the home. The mother also took on the role of a strict disciplinarian at home.

Warrior society came to an end in the Meiji period (1868- 1912) and liberalism, which was introduced from the West, made its way into Japan. The end of World War II saw the demise of the family institution which gave rise to the nuclear family comprised of a husband and wife and their children. This led to priority not being placed in observing these disciplinary precepts that were cultivate within the family institution and which were values required as members of society.

The defeat in the war caused authoritarian values to crumble resulting in adults losing power and making fathers unable to reprimand their children. The modern family evolved where the children grow up in a comfortable family atmosphere. But the world outside of the family is one of extreme competition to get into good schools and to get good jobs. With the corporate warrior father coming home late from work, the responsibility for educating the children falls entirely on the mother.

The mother sometimes brings up the children with too much love. The line betweenloving a child and spoiling a child becomes blurred. A problem is that some parents regard their children as being their exclusive property.