Discussion about this post

User's avatar
Diane's avatar

I always joke, as the daughter of a Japanese immigrant mom, that though I didn’t learn to speak Japanese, I know “Mom Japanese” really well. “Stop fighting!” “Be quiet!” etc. As well as all the basic polite phrases and the ritual phrases one says as you leave the house and when you return home. I didn’t teach those to my children, they didn’t feel like “my” words, they were my mom’s. I do especially miss the going out/coming home phrases and I’ve been recently wondering if I want to try to get my husband to do it. It would be SO foreign for him, and for me to hear him speak any Japanese. But it’s such a nice ritual, and helped me feel safe and loved growing up.

Expand full comment
1 more comment...

No posts