Revisiting the 'Other Classroom' Called Home: Perspectives from 'Postpartum Shift Theory' for Schools

The child seems restless for some reason.
The parent seems strangely aggressive.
Family circumstances are hard to see, and the more you get involved, the more difficult it becomes.

If you work in an educational setting, you have likely felt this at least once.

Children's behavioral problems, stagnation in learning, and trouble with parents.
In the background, there is often a 'distortion of relationships' occurring within the home casting a shadow.

However, without the means to properly verbalize that structure, have we not been dealing with these issues based only on the phenomena in front of us, saying:
'It's a family problem, so it can't be helped,'
or 'It's a problem with their (the parent's or child's) personality'?

To help a child grow, understanding the soil of the home is essential.

As a doctor, as a parent, and as someone who supports 'growth' in society, I have met many children and parents.

And what I feel strongly is that education and the home are not separate things.

No matter how good the teaching materials or curriculum are,
if there is no soil in the home where the child can feel secure, the roots will struggle to grow.

But now, a 'quiet crustal movement' that is hard to see is occurring within families.
One of these is the change in the marital relationship after childbirth.

'Postpartum crisis' is not a special case.

After childbirth, about 70% of couples experience a decline in relationship satisfaction,
and in Japan, divorce is most common in families with children aged 0 to 2.

This cannot be explained simply by saying 'child-rearing is hard.'

In the background, the following structural factors are lurking.

• Hormonal changes and physical burden on the woman

• Sudden change in roles (becoming a mother/father)

• Social isolation and lack of support

• Mismatch between gender norms and expectations

• 'Clogging' in conversation, trust, and emotional sharing

I call this fluctuation in relationships relational shock.

And this 'invisible shock' creates tension lurking within the home, which
eventuallyspreads to the children—this is the dynamic occurring in many households in Japan today.

What is Postpartum Shift Theory?

Rather than viewing this phenomenon as a 'marital crisis,' I propose
understanding it as a structural changethrough what I call
**Postpartum Shift Theory (PST)**.

PST is a model that organizes the six relational domains that change after childbirth (emotions, trust, communication, roles, time, and space) into a five-stage adaptation process, visualizing where couples are experiencing 'clogs' or 'misalignments.'

Its greatest feature is
'not blaming anyone.'

It is not that the husband or the wife is at fault, but rather that they are simply
**'not yet adapted to the structural change.'**

That is precisely why this perspective is necessary in educational settings as well.

To those of us standing between education and the home

What happens at home inevitably affects the school.

This manifests in the child's demeanor, not just in academic performance or daily habits, but in
the quality of their emotions, relationships, and sense of security.

And it also manifests in the relationship with parents.

• 'Why are these parents so defensive?'

• 'Why is it so difficult to provide support to this family?'

I believe that we in the field of education should be more aware that there may be a
**'strain in the marital relationship'**lurking in the background since the postpartum period.

What I hope to deliver in this series

In this magazine, for teachers, school nurses, administrators, and support staff standing between education and the home, I will deliver
perspectives and practical examples for applying 'Postpartum Shift Theory' in school settings over the course of eight installments.

By understanding the structure, we can help deliver
**'relationships that are a little easier'**
to the children, the parents, and the teachers themselves.

Let's think about this together in the upcoming installments.

#HomeAndEducation #PostpartumShiftTheory #PostpartumShiftTheory #ParentSupport #StaffVoices #RelationalSupport #ChildDevelopment #UnderstandingFamilyStructure