Parenting & Indulgence vs. Restraint

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When I first saw the topic of "parenting", I honestly found it rather dull. But our different opinions to those survey questions quickly changed my mind. They made me realize that what I see as normal might be unacceptable to someone else.

The question "What is acceptable for a five-year-old child" was the most interesting. From my experience, especially during holidays, trains and public places are packed with noisy and restless children. It drives me crazy every time. Still, I get it: children naturally have something to share, yell, and explore (good for them). The real issue is whether their parents step in. As adults, parents should guide their kids, who are unaware of social rules and manners, the right and proper way to react and behave. Anyway, I think good parenting shapes a child's mental and physical growth more than we think.

And finally, we touched on the last dimension of Hofstede. The indulgence and restraint dimension reminded me of Sigmund Freud in some ways. Freud argued that while our id constantly craves pleasure, the superego tells us to hold back. In restrained societies like China or Japan, social rules always win. Sometimes it can lead to an internal conflict within ourselves. I can still see the upside–we seldom overindulge–at least not in drugs, and thankfully, no guns in every pocket...

评论

  1. Emiliano2025年7月7日 23:16

    Thanks for your post,
    I found the same question really interesting, because is not only what are we willing to accept, also as each culture is different, how parents are expected to step in and guide

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  2. Elsa2025年7月7日 23:21

    Hello Manxuan :)
    Thank you for your nice blog entry! I also noticed how much your own background influences what you see as “normal” or “well-behaved.” I liked your example with the kids on trains like I totally get annoyed too, but you’re right that the bigger issue is actually whether the parents do anything about it. Like, it’s not the kid’s fault if no one’s teaching them.

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