What a Child's Perspective Gives Us, and What We Learn from Children

Hello!
This is Hibi Usagi.

Have you ever been struck by something a child said, or been impressed by a perspective that is unique to children?

Like, 'Oh, so that's what you were looking at,' or
'I see, so that's what you noticed.'

I think they see scenery that adults cannot see, and they feel or experience completely different things.

■ The Spilled Cookie

When my daughter was still a toddler, we went to play at the park, and while we were eating snacks on a bench, a few cookie crumbs fell to the ground.

Because the amount that fell was small, and so that my daughter wouldn't pick them up and eat them, I said,

'Let's leave them there because the ants will eat them.'

I said.

Then, my daughter crumbled the cookie she was holding and dropped even more onto the ground.

'Be careful not to drop it while you eat!'

When I warned her like that,

'I'm giving the ants more food.'

she said.

I was taken aback when I realized her intention was to share her snack with the ants so they could eat together.

■ What Was Delicious in Canada

When my son was four years old, we decided to visit the town in Canada where we used to live. It was my son's first time abroad.

Since it was a 5-day, 3-night itinerary, rather than getting jet lag, my young son spent every day living on Japan time, staying awake all night in our hotel room.

Aside from the time difference, the food was a problem.

I thought he would be able to eat things like hamburgers or Chinese fried rice, but perhaps the flavors were different from Japan, as they didn't suit my son's palate at all. He really only ate a tiny amount of proper food.

What do you think my son used as his staple food for those five days?

Believe it or not, it was chocolate eggs.

My son survived almost entirely on chocolate eggs for those five days (bitter laugh).

On the way back, we had a layover at Narita Airport, and that was when he finally managed to get some udon noodles.

I was relieved to see my son finally eating a proper meal after such a long time.

A few days later, I asked him about his memories of Canada.

Me: "Was there anything you liked eating in Canada?"

Son: "Udon!"

(Laughs!)

He had eaten the udon at Narita Airport, but in my young son's mind, it seemed to be an event that happened in Canada.

I suppose that makes sense.

I think he probably had no idea where Japan ended and where Canada began.

Come to think of it, at a souvenir shop in Canada, he spoke to the clerk in a loud voice,

"I'll take this!"

Even when the clerk responded in English, my son didn't care at all and continued the conversation in Japanese.

Being able to live without distinguishing between Japan and foreign countries felt somewhat enviable.

■ What I learned from my child

In Japan, due to my family's work, we lived in various places from the Tohoku region to western Japan.

Every place I have lived was a new experience.

At first, I couldn't understand the local dialects, and I felt differences from what I was used to in small things like how to communicate and the sense of personal space. Even though I was still in Japan, I felt like I was in a different culture.

When I lived in the Tohoku region, as soon as my eldest daughter started kindergarten,

she began saying things like "Doko sa iku?" (Where are you going?) and "Nda ne" (That's right),

and I also learned various dialects from the students who came to my English classes.

When I lived in western Japan, my second daughter and my son quickly started speaking the local dialect, and through my children, I also came to speak the dialect quite a bit.

Beyond just dialects, as my children grew up, I started learning the words that young people often use, such as things that are buzzing on social media (laughs) and other commonly used terms.

As I get older, my speed at catching new words that keep appearing is slowing down.

Some people seem to feel that "the Japanese language is being corrupted, it's not good!" but I simply find myself impressed and amused when I am occasionally taught the words that young people are using.

Language is alive... newly born expressions may disappear quickly, or they may become words that remain in the dictionary. As a living witness, being able to see the birth and death of words might be a valuable experience.

■ In summary...

From the perspective of children (not just my own, but also the students in my classes), I have been made aware of many things, felt moved, and found color and a secret ingredient in my daily life.

As I get older and perhaps a bit less sensitive, or too accustomed to my old ways, it is a joy to be able to learn from children and young people.

What do you think?

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