Every summer, we arrange to have our kids spend some time in the U.S. to help them learn English and generally get some “fun time” in, since America is a very fun place to them, with Disneyland and Girl Scout Camp and other enjoyable things to do. Making the plans is always a challenge, since their summer vacation is only around five weeks long, compared to three months in the U.S. My daughter arrived in San Diego a few days before I left for Japan, and in no time she had been transformed into a giggling American girl, watching Hannah Montana and SpongeBob Squarepants. Before I left, I took her aside and reminded her of something we’d discussed before: that America is a country where you have to take charge of things for yourself. In Japan, it’s pretty much a given that parents will pamper their children, putting breakfast in front of them without even being asked, or noticing when they’re hungry and making a snack, but you have to take more responsibility for yourself in the States. When my son was six or seven he went to a day camp in San Diego, and when it came time to eat lunch he didn’t know where his had been put. Instead of speaking up and asking for help, he quietly waited for someone to notice his distress, but no one did, and he went hungry all afternoon. It was a valuable lesson for us about about being assertive and taking responsibility for one’s self, like Americans do — or at least that’s the way things look from the viewpoint of Japan.
