On the 6/14/2020 (Sun) broadcast of the TOKYO FM radio program “Sugisaki Hana’s Flower TOKYO” (every Sunday from 8:00 to 8:30).
Sugisaki Hana was answering questions from listeners about “children’s extracurricular activities.”
Sugisaki Hana: 34 years old, Kanagawa Prefecture, radio name “Remote Dakko”.
Listener email: Good morning, Ohana.
Sugisaki Hana: Good morning.
Listener email: I always listen to your show while jogging, and your stories and song selections make me feel refreshed in the morning.
Sugisaki Hana: I’m so happy… thank you.
Listener email: My daughter was born this spring.
Sugisaki Hana: Congratulations!
Listener email: I’m grateful that you were born strong in this situation, and at the same time, you have encouraged us as parents. You are already reliable.
Now, a question for Ohana.
I’ve heard that you took a lot of lessons as a child. Is there anything you’re glad you did, or anything else you’d like to have tried?
It’s a bit early to ask, but I’d like to give my daughter a variety of experiences, so I’d be happy if you could give me some advice.
Sugisaki Hana: Hmm… I wonder?
But I really enjoyed going to things like horse riding, calligraphy, and art classes.
I especially enjoyed horse riding in my current job… Well, I don’t have many opportunities yet, but in period dramas, there are scenes where you ride a horse, so I thought it would be useful.
I’m really glad I did it.
…That’s right. What would you be able to do even now?
I’d like to learn sword fighting, action, piano, flowers… and flower arranging.
Also, when I was little, I didn’t take any lessons, but I would be away from my parents and there would be about 30 or 40 other children gathered together… and we had a teacher who would take us to various places on the bus.
There were a lot of different tour programs, and that’s exactly why I learned horse riding. Things like a 3-night, 4-day horse riding tour or a Mongolian sumo experience.
It was like, “Let’s give you a variety of experiences”… I guess you could call it a “group”? Something like that. It was really good that I was able to do that when I was little.
But in the end, I couldn’t continue with any of the various lessons I tried. I got bored easily, so I quit. Well, my mother saw that, and because she’s someone who gets bored easily, she thought that an environment like this, where you play a variety of roles and get into new places, might suit me, so she pushed me to do my current job. I feel like all of my experiences have been useful, so I’m really grateful that I was able to take up a variety of lessons, and I do feel a bit sorry that I stopped (laughs).
However, since everyone has their own “personality” and “strengths and weaknesses,” I think it would be good to try out different things that suit your child and discover various possibilities.
Remote Holder, I understand that your child was born recently… congratulations. I hope you have a wonderful time together. Thank you for your message.