I noticed that Japanese babies tend to be unusually quiet. So, I've been thinking about why they generally don't seem to cry as much all the babies I've ever known in my entire American life.
Here's what I came up with: babies cry when they need something, right? Well, Japanese babies seem to need a lot less of something, I wisely deduced.
So, I secretly watched, when I went to Joy-full Family Restaurant, to see what it was that Japanese babies don't need. I watched(possibly on two or even three exhausting excursions), how Japanese mothers handle their sweet joy bundles. Here's what my observations have uncovered: the moms and the families(around here they frequently live under one roof) seem to be doing something we in the west might call unthinkable: they don't pay gobs of attention to their infant. In fact, if the baby is crying the family doesn't necessarily notice for some time, mom included. Or, perhaps they do notice, but they don't react immediately or at all. Then, the baby may or may not stop crying, to the nonreaction of the family.
These observations have led me to believe that Japanese babies learn to not need as much attention as American babies, or American people, for that matter. Not that it's a bad thing, but doesn't it seem that attention is the fuel of many Americans? In America, being different often merits special treatment, positive or negative. But, who wants to stick out here? Perhaps one of the most well-known Japanese sayings is: "The nail that sticks out is hammered back in."
Babies here are taught not to stick out from the beginning. And that's why I think the babies don't cry as much, they are taught that yearning for attention through crying won't get them much more than a sore throat and a wet pillow.
I'm not saying I think these Japanese mothers are bad mothers, just that they are raising children with different expectations. And it works here!
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