How can we become a country where families with children are envied?

育てている胡蝶蘭、しっかり咲いてます！

あっ、すみません。英語のテストまでこのブログも英語のお勉強モードに入ります。

ChatGPTとがんばります！

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Last January, I tweeted about this. I said, 'Almost all articles about parenting on SNS make us feel anxious.'

Afterwards, I wrote, 'Instead, it would be more meaningful to write about the benefits of having children. For example, articles about how you can skip the lines and enter zoos or museums with your children, or how you can get a 20% discount at restaurants when dining with kids. I believe that writing such articles would be more valuable. What do you all think?'

> 最大の理由は、経済的負担です

子育て記事は不安を煽るものばかり
読んでもらいたいがための負のイメージの垂れ流しって？

それよりも、子どもがいると得する、例えば動物園や美術館に子どもを連れて行けば並ばずに入れるとか、子連れでレストランに入店すると20%オフになるとか、

分析はもういい

— 逆子ちゃん鍼灸師 (@shinkyusakago) February 13, 2023

Having children makes it difficult to find a job. Parenting requires financial resources. The term "parenting" has become entirely associated with negativity. Having or not having children often leads to conflicts. Indeed, parenting is challenging, but within the unpredictable journey of raising children, there are unexpected joys. That's why I personally believe that experiencing parenthood is truly rewarding. However, children require a lot of attention, and parenting comes with financial obligations. Babies, who are inherently vulnerable, are meant to be raised in a community setting. It is essential for child-rearing to be a communal effort within the local community. The current approach of solely burdening parents with all the responsibilities of raising children does not inspire anyone to desire having children.

Will a world where it is common to raise children in communities ever come to fruition? In a society facing declining birth rates and where nuclear families are prevalent, with many individuals living alone, it is necessary to first rebuild the support system for mothers and fathers in order to enable community-based child-rearing. It would be wonderful if we could live in a society where it is more casual and acceptable to express envy towards those who are engaged in raising children. Rather than the government simply distributing funds for childcare support, I believe that a society where people genuinely admire families raising children will lead to an increase in the number of children.

Japan's population is expected to continue decreasing in the future. Whether to accept immigrants or recognize that population decline is already inevitable, the time to consider how to postpone the decline has long passed. Even though it may be too late, we must take immediate action if we want to preserve Japan to some extent.

Indeed, there are opinions suggesting that even 100 million people is too many for this land. Therefore, it might be worth considering a grand design to sustain a population of around 50 million in anticipation of population decline. However, if that were the case, the question of where to entrust the labor force would still pose a significant challenge and concern.

I'm sorry for the digression. To summarize, rather than prioritizing increasing the number of children, it is important to first consider how to create a society where child-rearing is enjoyable and where those who are raising children are given priority. By focusing on such societal aspects, there is a possibility that the number of children may increase to some extent.

子どもがいると羨ましい - 鍼灸師「おおしたさん」のブログです