Some moms that I met at a nearby shopping center came over to have coffee and cookies today — all three of them have 10-month-olds. This little guy just fell asleep with his mama laying next to him on the couch and slept with his feet hanging off the edge and his eyes half-open for forty minutes.. while the rest of the kids and mamas made a TON of noise!! I’ve seen this happen a lot — so interesting, the different cultural parenting styles. Japanese moms talk a lot about “skinship” and the need to be physically close to their children — most co-sleep until the child is 5 or 6. They also hate to see their children cry, so they play games with them to distract them if they fall and hit their heads, or they feed them sembei — they are always eating sembei (rice crackers).
Reading that description makes me think I’m secretly a Japanese mom (although I’m hoping he’s out of our bed long before 5 or 6!). Also, this 10-month-old looks like a giant baby compared to Simon (also 10 months).