A Plunket booklet given to all new parents in New Zealand has been translated into Japanese and is a big hit among mums in a Tokyo family centre.
Plunket's Thriving Under Five is a self-help book which provides advice about children from newborns through to age five.
Misako Moriki, owner of the
Tokyo Bethal family centre, said the book's appeal was the way in which it was written, and the growing interest Japanese mothers had in broadening their approach to child-rearing.
A Japanese mother who had used Plunket services in New Zealand took the book back with her to Japan. She attended the Tokyo Bethal centre and suggested the book be translated into Japanese.
Ms Moriki's daughter Yoshie Moriki-Durand gained permission from Plunket, did the translation and printed the first 1000 copies.
The Tokyo Bethal centre has close similarities with Plunket's family centres and coffee groups.
It was started by Ms Moriki, a grandmother, trained social worker and kindergarten teacher, in response to the big need for mothers to discuss parenting issues and take time out with their children and other women in similar situations.
"As nuclear families increase and community connections weaken, parents in Japan are finding it difficult to raise children in what is increasingly an isolated environment. They need support in the way that Plunket supports families in New Zealand," Ms Moriki said.
- NZPA
