Title: I have two daughters, one a prep school student and the other in the third year of junior high school.
Author：Takahiro Tsujii, Assistant Professor, Information Network Operation Technology, Information Initiative Center
Recently, at a piano recital, I played a duet with my daughter, who is in the third grade of junior high school. I had never played the piano before, so I started practicing with my daughter at piano lessons every week for three months before the recital. As a result, we were able to perform successfully at the recital.
It is unusual for a junior high school girl to play the piano with her father, and I have heard that junior high school girls do not like their fathers. However, my two daughters are very attached to me, even though they are young. I think it is because I am childlike and have treated them from the same perspective as children. (The same perspective means putting yourself in the same position, thinking and feeling things together.
In many families, mothers are mainly responsible for the upbringing (discipline) of their children, so it is difficult for them to see things from the same perspective. As a father, I feel that it has been meaningful for me to follow my mother's example and treat my children from the same perspective as a human being.
Of course, I must not forget to express my gratitude to my wife, who did most of the practical work of raising our children. It is also important to let my children feel this gratitude. My daughters have not yet developed a sense of appreciation for their surroundings. This may be something that they will learn when they enter the workforce, but I hope that we as a couple can set an example for them to become people who appreciate their surroundings.
