top of page
Writer's picturesanka

[Parenting Book Commentary #2] "What words did parents who raised geniuses say to their children?" by Tomoyuki Mayama and Tomoka Oyano


Hello!


I'm Sanka, the president and child coach of the global metaverse school "Ousia School"!


The parenting book I'd like to introduce this time is "What words did parents who raised geniuses say?", co-authored by Tomoyuki Mayama, a researcher of great people and quotes who has written a total of more than 40 books on great people, famous quotes, and historical figures, and Tomoka Oyano, an educational critic and mentor of "Dragon Zakura"!


Edison, Einstein, Soichiro Honda, Goethe, Benjamin Franklin, Akira Kurosawa, Tsuyoshi Mori, Eiichi Shibusawa, Jung, Churchill, Darwin...


These people who have made their mark in history were not necessarily easy to raise as children.


They were not geniuses either. Many of them were considered "problem children".


What words did their parents say to their children and how did they treat them?


This book is a practical parenting biography of great people that is dedicated to all parents who care about their children.


This time, I would like to summarize what kind of words the parents of geniuses used in two situations found in this book.

  1. 学校になじめなかった天才たち

    1. Cases of raising geniuses

      1. Edison (genius inventor): "You can study even if you're not at school (from his mother)" Tsuyoshi Mori (genius mathematician): "Instead of going to school, spend your day fulfillingly (from his father)"

    2. What can be understood from the case studies

      1. Empathy and observation are important

        1. Don't speak with assumptions

          1. If you speak up before listening to what your child has to say, they may think, "You never listen to me. I'm fine with that," and stop coming to you for advice.

        2. Do not criticize, condemn or blame

          1. If a child expresses an opinion and is rejected, the child will think, "There's no point in saying anything because you don't understand anything."

          2. If your child says, "There's no point in saying anything to Mom, so I won't say anything!" then you should be careful. It's important to listen attentively. The best thing to do is to simply listen to what she has to say with your whole heart.

        3. Don't give knee-jerk advice

          1. When your child comes to you for advice, instead of reflexively giving advice, first listen!

          2. Ask questions repeatedly and encourage them to solve the problem themselves.

          3. People only take advice from people who really listen! So listen attentively!!!

  2. Geniuses who built their confidence through their parents' words

    1. Cases of raising geniuses

      1. Agatha Christie (mystery writer): "It's not impossible. It's never been done." (Mother)

        1. Rejection from my respected sister

          1. Chris: "I want to be a novelist." Sister: "There's no way you could become a novelist." Chris: (Is it because my respected sister says so that I can't write?)

        2. Words of encouragement from my mother

          1. Mom: "Hey, why don't you write a novel?"

          2. Chris: "My sister told me I couldn't do it, so I lost all confidence."

          3. Mom: "Of course you can't. You've never tried writing before."

      2. Jung (psychologist): "You can reach the top of the mountain alone (from my father)"

        1. Words from a father to his weak and self-confident son

          1. Jung was born with a weak constitution and had little confidence in himself. One day after he was recuperating

          2. Father: "Let's go on a trip together, Dad."

          3. Jung: "Okay." (Where will they take me, a sick boy?) The next day

          4. Father: "You can reach the top of the mountain by yourself. That's why I'm here."

        2. Jung's New World

          1. Jung: "I will never forget the view from the summit that day. This was my true world. My father taught me that."

          2. After this incident, Jung became someone who could act without someone accompanying him.

    2. What can be understood from the case studies

      1. Unfounded trust: just believe!

        1. "you can do it"

          1. If parents don't believe in their children, can anyone else believe in them? The parents of geniuses were their children's biggest supporters.

        2. "You're going to be something big."

          1. Kotodama does exist. Your words will determine whether your child's life will be big or small. What kind of life does your child want, not you? And what can you do as a supporter to help your child realize the life they want?

        3. "Your possibilities are limitless"

          1. Don't say things that will put a lid on your child's potential! There's no good in that. Are the words you say out of concern really helping your child?


These are some examples of words from parents who raised geniuses.


What did you think?


Empathy x Observation x Trust were common elements among the parents of great people.


Above all, it is important to "acknowledge" your children and not interfere too much.


This book also compiles the words of parents of several great people in 12 other situations. If you are interested, please check here.


 

Thank you for reading all the way to the end!


This blog is a small, selfish gift to my sister who is raising a 2-year-old boy (I haven't had a chance to give her a birthday present yet lol).


Seeing my sister struggling every day, I started typing in the hopes of being of some help.


At the same time, I also work with children every day as the principal of the Global Metaverse School and as a child coach.


I am always seeking new knowledge and ideas to bring out the infinite potential of elementary school students.


This blog is a way to support my sister and a record of my own learning. It is also an encouragement to everyone who is struggling with child-rearing in the same way.


I would be happy if we could create a bright future for children together!


I will continue to output explanatory articles on books that may be useful for child-rearing (especially how to talk to children)!


Please read this article, and if you found it useful, please leave a "Like" or "Comment" to encourage our activities!


Also, if you have a child-rearing or child-rearing book that you would like us to explain,


please feel free to comment!


Thank you for your continued support of Sanka.


*You can currently join the global metaverse school "Ousia School" for free here. *The reason it is free is that it is currently being tested.

13 views0 comments

Comments


bottom of page