Question 1

I don't have children, but I have my dog, Mogu, I treat him like my baby! He's 10 years old, his birthday is on May 15. I adopted him during the height of the covid pandemic and English-Please was only doing online lessons. He is a very gentle and sweet dog. He never barks and always comes when you call his name.

Question 2

I don't really want children any time soon, but I guess having just 2 children is okay and raising them to be best friends would be the best. I think just being the only child can get kind of lonely.

Question 3

I think it was probably because the male child can carry the family name. It's the same in the Philippines. In the Philippines, some parents also think that having a male child will ensure more success for the family and expect them to contribute to raising their younger siblings. I don't like this mindset. Thankfully my parents didn't like this way of thinking too and raised us to be independent and we have no obligations to our family.

Question 4

I think women want a girl because they think they can be closer to female child and do cute things with them like buying pretty dresses, dolls and doing things like cooking or having tea together. My aunt had always wanted to have girls, but she has 2 boys instead. She loved to play with me and braid my hair or paint my nails when I was a child. I really had a lot of fun with her.

Question 5

I think a hikkikomori is an adult who cannot socialize properly with the outisde world because they have some untreated mental problems. Perhaps bad parenting could be the cause, when parents either neglect their child too much or put too much pressure on them instead of allowing them to enjoy their youth and being more supportive. I heard that some cases are also caused by severe bullying and the child couldn't tell their parents what was happening to them out of fear of the bullies.

Question 6

I think the most useful advice I could give would be to teach their children how to save money and live within their means. They should also focus on raising kind children rather than focusing too much on being the best at everything. I think, if a child always feels that they are loved and supported, they cannot go wrong in life and will always do more than what is expected of them.

Tough Vocabulary

Question 1

I don't have any children and can't imagine having one in the near future. I do have one younger sister who currently lives in Melbourne, Australia. Her name is Antonia (female derivative for Antonio). She is studying food science at the University of Melbourne and plan to graduate within the next two years. We fight a lot when it comes to grades and achievements! Our parents rewards those who perform well academically with various things.

Question 2

I would say that 2 children is ideal for me since keeping track of each child's progress won't be too complicated. Travelling abroad will also be quite convenient with an even number of people.

Question 3

Male babies were preferred because it was believed that only men are able to become a family's successor. Most career paths in Japan were also "made" for males rather than females.

Question 4

I'm not sure if that is the case in the prefecture that I live. Most of my female friends prefer male babies as they believe that they tend to get closer to their moms than dads. However, for some who hope to have a female baby, perhaps they think that mother and daughters can bond over mutual interests and hobbies (i.e. shopping, cooking, nail art, etc).

Question 5

Hikkikomori is a situation when a person lives literally on their own and avoid human contact as much as possible. I believe that the pressure from society plays a big role in creating people who shuts themselves from the rest of the world. Self-esteem is another factor that I think is important when considering hikkikomori cases.

Question 6

I would advice them to avoid smartphones and tablets during their early years. I think teaching children to think critically is one of the best advices that I can give to someone who is expecting a child.

Tough Vocabulary

- English -	- Japanese -
graduate	卒業
achievement	達成
academically	学術的に
successor	後継
bond	つなぐ
pressure	圧力
mutual interest	相互利益

Question 1

Yes, I have two children. Kouki is 20 months old and Sophie is 3 months old. They don't have an occupation other than eating, sleeping, playing and sometimes crying. Kouki is very expressive at home but can be apprehensive in new situations. Sophie appears to be much more tranquil than Kouki was at the same age.

Question 2

I think two is a good number. One each to replace my wife and I when we die. Anymore will over burden the planet.

Question 3

I think because in those days males were the main bread winners and a woman's job was to stay at home and look after the household.

Question 4

I think that nowadays the sexes are closer to being equal, although I feel that they are not completely equal yet.

Question 5

Hikkikomori is a person, usually male, who avoids social interactions and contact. I think Japan has a very dense population, espeically in the cities. This may cause some people to retreat into their own space thus shutting out the outside world.

Question 6

The advice I would give is - all kids fall over and cry, so, don't get too worried. I think it is important to teach children to try new things without fear of failure.

Tough Vocabulary

- English -	- Japanese -
apprehensive	危惧
tranquil	のどか
bread winner	一人雇い