OSF9 Textbook

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LOOKING FOR PATTERNS

CULTURAL PATTERN D: Parents and children sleep together

CULTURAL PATTERN C: Parents and children sleep separately

In other cultures, small children are viewed as fragile beings who need to be nurtured and protected, so they sleep with their parents. The family generally sleeps as a group.

In some cultures, children are made to sleep by themselves from a young age. This is to help them become independent, and also to allow parents to have intimacy as a couple.

Read through the Ibunka Survey responses below. Highlight in one color the words and phrases that hint at Cultural Pattern C: Parents and children sleep separately, and in another color the parts that show Cultural Pattern D: Parents and children sleep together. You can work and discuss this in pairs or small groups.

My Japanese wife and I slept alongside our children for many years. We live in Japan, so it just seemed normal. I still remember the shock I had when, as a young couple, we were invited for dinner at a friends’ place during a trip back to New Zealand for the summer. We had left our own daughter with my parents. /ZXY GJKTWJ \J XYFWYJI JFYNSL FWTZSI UR R^ KWNJSI YTTP MNX ^JFW TQI IFZLMYJW ZUXYFNWX YT MJW WTTR FSI . \JSY \NYM MNR . XF\ MNR switching off the lights, telling her good night, and closing the door. We went back downstairs and we adults had a wonderful evening, talking and laughing. For me, it was a surreal experience! 1HZ =HDODQGHU PDOH WHDFKHU OLYHV LQ -DSDQ 7 I think a UWJXHMTTQ FLJ child should be asleep by around 8 pm, and they should get used to sleeping in their own room as soon as possible, in order to develop a sense of independence. *HUPDQ IHPDOH ZULWHU KDV OLYHG LQ WKH 8. 8 I think small children should sleep with their parents. Especially when they are only a few months old, it’s better if there is someone right there to take care of them in case of any emergencies. &KLQHVH PDOH VWXGHQW KDV OLYHG LQ -DSDQ 9

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Write a paragraph on the topic of parenting and culture. Include your opinions and reactions to the cultural patterns you found in these survey responses.

EXPRESSION

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