orange comments

I have to say s/he is very pretty and dresses beautifully, and seems to actually have a bit of talent, though his music is really not my kind of thing. Good for Yohio for being who s/he is and putting themselves in the public eye. It is very very brave of such a young person!

Cleo I would give you a hundred thumbs up if I could.

The "feminist revolution" is just as proscriptive and limiting as any patriarchial system, with added female bitchiness to boot.

What is so hard about personal choice for some people - usually women - to understand?

It was my personal choice to be a stay at home mother. I breastfed for an extended period of time, followed attachment parenting ideas and slept with my children when they were small, I homeschool, and am deeply involved in my children's development. This is my choice and it is no less valid than a woman who choses either not to have children, or to have children and go out to work. I couldnt give a flying F if I am betraying the Sisterhood, Im doing what I believe is best for my children, and it greatly irritates me when other people think they are entitled to an opinion on how me and my husband have chosen to run our family.

I find it particularly irritating when people who voice such strong and derisory views are not even a parent. Being an educator or an "auntie" is in no way comparable to being an actual parent.

I love my job. It is not "work" in quotation marks, but proper work, and no less valuable because I am not paid, in fact to me, this adds to my satisfaction in life. My only reward is my children's development and love and to me this is part of what makes my life enjoyable to me.

Some mothers do find being part of someone else's development boring and unfulfilling. They have no interest in what is best for the child - breastfeeding for instance - and only what is comfortable for them. This selfishness does not make a happy or good stay at home mother. Thank goodness women who feel this way do return to work and allows someone else who does enjoy their child to put the work into raising them. That said we all know that for most child care staff it is not a labor or love, but just a job to them.

Far from working mothers to be the ones to catch all the flak for their choices, I find it is stay at home mothers who are subject to the most vicious attacks on their life choices, and most of that derision is from other women.

Good on her for refusing to be a victim, but she put herself in danger over a handbag and its contents! Also what if this man had some kind of blood-transmitted disease, she was obviously bleeding too as she lost a tooth, not at all safe!

Tmarie, I cant speak for all kids, but mine adore a starbucks, especially a vanilla frappucino, some colouring, reading or something to play, and those little "cake pops", if I were to say, offer them an ice cream at a nice ice cream parlor, or a starbucks, Im afraid they would chose Starbucks....Nice big tables, comfy chairs..and desserts you can drink...It as, I should say to Ms Judgy Pants, a treat after something stressful, like a hospital visit, not an every day occurence. I dont feed said children frappucino and cake on a regular basis....

Let me tell you a secret, many many people, before they have kids, seem to think their children will only play with wooden toys or suitably educational material, in a way the parent prescribes, will sleep 8 hours a night, after suitable sleep training, will never tantrum, or cause a fuss in public, because you will be so wonderful at parenting...and you will never use the tv/ipad/ds to babysit while you do 20 things at once round the home, or make important phone calls, or even just have a trip to the toilet. I remember fondly how principled I was BEFORE I had children.

The thing is, Marie, you give ALL parents a hard time due to your ideals as a non-parent. As long as people do no harm, give their children love and support, that is all anyone can ask. All this is window-dressing. The "holier than thou" attitude when you have not been there, done that and bought the t shirt, is what gets people's backs up.

I dont think any children would tolerate being given an ipad and ignored, and an ipad as a tool of neglect is not something I can see happening. That kind of parent, as Frungy said, is more likely to lock a child into a room (or out on the balcony in Japan), and not even think about giving an expensive piece of equipment to a child they dont want to interact with. As frungy said, much more succinctly, its not the tech, its the parents who would be bad under any circumstances, even with a house full of montessori toys.

I think as long as there is variety, an ipad is a good addition to the toybox. Children will need to be computer savvy, and will lag behind hteir computer literate peers if they are not exposed to technology at a young age.

As far as being allowed ds's out the house, tmarie, they occupy children on long tedious journeys, or whilst grown ups are talking in restaurants, and as they are occupied, they are less likely to fuss, move around and make noise, thus irritating people like you. As long as the sound is down they are bothering noone, and you certainly cannot draw the conclusion that they are neglected or deprived of attention at home from the fact they are allowed to play their ds's under certain circumstances. You need a firm surface to color-in, so it is hard to do so on a train, and also bulky to carry pens and books with you. Children who are not yet able to read are capable of playing a game, and those of school age, if it is not school time, have the choice of what they want to do or play.

In fact today, we have to go to a hospital appointment, with the whole brood, and we will most certainly be packing ipods and ds's...we will even go to starbucks afterwards I think.

Japanese healthcare might cost the least, but in our experience it is very hit and miss in terms of quality. As far as compassion goes, forget it, even when dealing with children we have found doctors and nurses to be utterly heartless, cold, lacking in empathy or sympathy, and sometimes distinctly unprofessional.

We have had one instance where medication which was unsuitable, and in fact downright dangerous, was prescribed, and been asked for more money over the unconscious body of a loved one.

This was not for childbirth - for a medical emergency and consequent surgery. I dont want to elaborate, but I would say if anyone has a bad feeling about a surgeon or a hospital dont presume they are professionals, caring or otherwise, and take your loved one to another hospital. Demand the transfer letter and make a fuss. Long term damage is a far worse option than being seen as "difficult" or "demanding".

We had a terrible time at St Luke's hospital, Im sure some people have found it satisfactory, but I would never recommend it to anybody.

With those comments regarding the ill who need machines and the like, really, what kind of life do you think they live if they can't survive a few hours off a machine? This is where medicine has gone too far. Sorry, hate to say but perhaps letting them go would be for the best?

My oldest child was born premature, and could not breathe for herself. They needed 3 months of a machine pushing air into her lungs - nasal cpap, an incubator, and other machines to keep them alive. For 3 months. Without them they would have died. As it is, they recovered, went home with us, and is now a healthy young lady. I find the idea we should let people die who need "machines" to breathe for them etc, utterly beyond the pale. These are people's loved ones you are talking about, people who may well get better and go on to have lives. Sickening, utterly sickening.

I want to move somewhere nuke free like New Zealand, get myself on an agriculture/animal husbandry course and buy myself a smallholding and subsistence farm. Its the only way to make as sure as possible that you are not being poisoned by food contaminated due to the financial greed of others, whether it be dodgy feeding practices in the USA, or radioactive veg in Japan.

So, Thomas, Im sure then you will take in all the cats who would be made homeless once these cafe's are shut down? Or are they better off dead in the ward office animal gas chambers?

My big boy neuter cat is a total love bug, follows me faithfully all over the house, sleeps with me, asks to be petted, rubs his head on me, and cries when I leave the house. He is not the only cat I have ever met to be like that. My female neuter is a little cooler, but still has her moments, and likes to sit near people, if not right on top of them. These cats are not bothered 24/7, and have plenty of places to escape attention in their cat trees.

I have been to a cat cafe in Ikebukuro, or rather to Sunshine city Tokyu Hands pet supplies shop, where there is a cat cafe. I was looking for a large carrier for my big boy cat, and was unsure he would fit in the one I had chosen. The very nice staff brought out a cat who was a similar size and the same breed as mine from the cat cafe. He was beautifully groomed, clearly very healthy and very very friendly and purr-ey. We fed him some of his kibble which was really high quality Royal Canin, and he helped us pick a suitable carrier for my fluffy friend...he also sold me some premium brand wet food, and a "Da bird", and some cat shampoo...good salesman, that kitty. We then went into the cafe for a while, it was beautifully clean, the cats were all very friendly and happy in their environment. There were lots of chill out spaces for the cats out of human reach, and they were all absolutely beautifully groomed, neutered and seemed in excellent health.

I see no problems at all with cat cafes, not everyone can have a pet at home, and the cats are not in tiny little plastic cases, but in a really lovely environment with great care. Ok, so they dont have a home and a regular family, but as Netninja points out, it could be far far worse.

What would happen if these places closed down? How many of the cats would end up in the ward office gas chambers!

*she'll grow complacent and spoiled, and more or less do the same in the future, to worse effect. Too late for that I think. As for her parents, the fact that they are crying about it and have a lawyer... Don't think her parents are going to tell her it was her fault for being a spoiled and out of control brat. They're probably used to it.

Personally, am glad they cuffed her and took her to the station. I am sure she was scared and I hope she remember it next time she decides to pull this crap.**

You do realise you are a vile person, who lacks any empathy, any understanding of what it is to be a child, or what it is to raise one. Do me a favour and get therapy. You are sick for wishing suffering and fear on a LITTLE KID of 6 years old, who just got out of control, either due to mental health problems or issues at home. Never, ever have kids Marie, you would be a terrible mother.

> I don't need to "have a heart" with regards to a 13 year old knowingly breaking the law.

No? Really? You honestly believe that. Then you have my condolences. Ild love to give this girl a huge hug and tell her it is going to all be alright, and she will recover in time. I think she deserves it. You dont have to be sold INTO the sex trade in under age girls to be a victim of it. You just need to have been groomed by either an older female, a pimp, or else by years of conditioning due to sexual abuse. Any way you look at it, she is not a victim, she does not deserve punishment any more than any other rape victim, and she does deserve a whole lot of sympathy for a very shitty hand in life that has been dealt to her.

Before Marie jumps all over me...if women have to work, or want to, its no business of mine. The vast majority of mothers only have their children's best interests at heart. However all this slamming of stay at home mothers, and distortion of the facts about the amount they work, and the worth of their work really gets me riled.

Children do best with their own mothers....

http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2005/oct/02/childrensservices.familyandrelationships

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1325770/Children-better-school-mother-stays-home-year.html

http://www.nytimes.com/2003/07/16/us/two-studies-link-child-care-to-behavior-problems.html

A British study in the "Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health" reported that children of stay-at home-mothers are more likely to participate in organized sports than those whose mothers worked, possibly because their mothers had more time to take them to sports practices. Other studies have found that children of stay-at-home moms were exposed to fewer germs and suffered from fewer illnesses. In addition, stay-at-home moms can have more time to prepare healthier foods and they rely less on convenience foods, partially for financial reasons.

In the case of the 13 year old who was caught selling her body you said the parents should have been more involved. Well you cant do that if you work full time, can you, especially not in Japan where hours are so long!

You seem to think that being a mother isnt work, Marie, or its only work if you get paid for looking after someone elses child. Being a mother is work, just unpaid work. Its also incredibly hard and tiring, and rewarding. My children will remember me as someone there for them throughout their childhoods, when Im gone. You cant take money with you, and few people make much of a difference with their chosen careers. Im making a real difference to two people's lives which will serve them well throughout their lives, and I am happy, Im not just "someone's mother", Im a worthwhile person, and I LOVE my job. My husband doesnt mind supporting the family - its his duty and his pleasure. Not everyone is obsessed with yen. We manage perfectly well on one salary.

Marie, you dont punish victims, you support them, counsel them, help them, and this girl is no criminal, she is a victim of the sex trade in underage children. Again, Marie, have a heart as well as a first rate mind!

You miss the point entirely, a Japanese ossan is an adult with years of experience, fully grown and not been subjected to sexual servitude.

She is 13 years old, barely into puberty, Marie. Girls of 12 and 13 don't just sell themselves without huge problems and possible past abuse. Have a heart. We totally get you dont like children, and are not keen on other women unless they are go-getters in the business world, with no children, but just please try and have a heart!

My skin is crawling just thinking about this. How utterly creepy. I bet he doesn't even get thrown off the force!

Some men get married for love, because they WANT children, they WANT to be a family, they WANT what is best for their children and they do not resent going to work to provide for it, while their wife gives their children the best care possible.

Again, SO judgemental, Marie, about things which are your opinion, not fact.

ARg, I messed up with the quote button, that was "just a wife a mom", from Tmarie....

women wanting to be more than just a wife and mom." JUST a wife and mom! What do you mean "JUST"!There you go, running down being a mother again, just because its not YOUR choice! For a lot of women it is the most rewarding thing they will ever do with their lives. If Japanese young women realised that and stopped dressing up their dogs and putting them in pushchairs perhaps Japan wouldnt have these issues.

Jump, the heart defects associated with Down's are increasingly not life threatening and can be corrected with modern surgical techniques. Its human life we are talking about, not survival of the fittest, and damn every human soul who is not NT.

What people comment about this story says far more about them, than it does about the 13 year old, or her 40 year old pimp.

I hope this girl can find her way in life, and doesnt continue down roads which will lead to a hard and lonely life.

They can make mind reading cat ears, but not a robot to go into Fukushima Dai-ichi and do something important. Outstanding.

A woman will never regret having a child, if she takes that step, however she may well regret her choice of father for her baby, as net ninja often makes abundantly clear.

I couldnt give a monkeys if woman have a baby or not. I dislike the idea that a child who has a genetic disorder is worth less than a genetically healthy one. In the case of Down's syndrome, individuals can and do go on to have wonderful, productive lives, full of love.

Marie, I doubt if most people care or not if you choose to be child-free, it is totally your choice. The point where is grates with those who have children is where you have a strong opinon on every story which involves a child, you habitually run down those women who have chosen to be mothers, and force your ideas onto other people, saying their choices are not as good as your ones.

A baby is a baby, its common sense that younger mothers are fitter and have fewer issues, and perhaps this doctor might make younger women think twice about delaying having children if they want.

As for money, it always works out, money is not everything by any means. If that is the reason for delaying starting a family, it will never be the right time!

Im not scared of the quakes, its what left of the NPP's in Fukushima toppling over that worries me.