Crying Child Grows: Japanese Proverb Meaning

How to Read Crying child grows

Naku ko wa sodatsu

Meaning of Crying child grows

“Crying child grows” is a proverb meaning that babies who cry frequently are healthy with strong vitality and will grow up robustly.

This proverb is mainly used in the context of raising infants and toddlers. It is often used as encouragement for parents and those around them who are troubled by a frequently crying baby, with the meaning “crying is proof of good health, so there’s no need to worry.” It is also used as comforting words for parents who worry about quiet babies who don’t cry much, saying “babies who cry tend to grow up stronger.”

Even today, this expression is cherished as words that reassure parents raising children. When exhausted by a baby’s night crying or intense wailing, many parents find emotional support when grandparents or experienced senior mothers tell them “crying child grows, so it’s okay.” This proverb reflects the Japanese child-rearing perspective of viewing crying—a seemingly troublesome phenomenon—positively as evidence of growth.

Origin and Etymology of Crying child grows

“Crying child grows” is thought to be a proverb born from the combination of Japan’s ancient child-rearing beliefs and medical knowledge.

In Japan before the Edo period, infant mortality rates were extremely high, and whether newborn babies would grow up safely was a major concern. Against this historical background, babies who cried frequently were considered to have strong lungs and vital force.

In fact, crying was also important exercise for babies. Crying loudly strengthened the lungs and developed the respiratory system. Additionally, crying improved blood circulation and exercised muscles throughout the body, so it was experientially understood to have positive effects on overall physical development.

Furthermore, babies who cried frequently were children who could properly express hunger and discomfort, which was also proof of health. Conversely, babies who didn’t cry much were sometimes worried about as potentially having weak constitutions.

From such experience-based observations, the proverb “crying child grows” was born and passed down as wisdom for parents and surrounding adults to view babies’ crying positively. This proverb contains deep insights rooted in daily life from an era when medicine was not yet developed.

Trivia about Crying child grows

Baby cries are actually scientifically proven to be in the frequency range most audible to adult ears. This is thought to be a mechanism that developed through evolution so adults could quickly notice babies’ needs, supporting the biological rationality behind “crying child grows.”

Also, Edo period child-rearing books contain descriptions stating “babies who cry well are robust,” showing that this proverb was passed down not as mere superstition but as wisdom based on years of experience.

Usage Examples of Crying child grows

• The neighbor’s baby is crying loudly again, but crying child grows, so it’s proof of good health
• Our child had terrible night crying and it was difficult, but crying child grows, and now they’ve grown up splendidly

Modern Interpretation of Crying child grows

In modern society, views toward the proverb “crying child grows” have become complex. With medical advances, the reasons babies cry have been explained in more detail, and we now know there are cases where simply “crying = healthy” doesn’t apply.

For example, causes of night crying are now attributed to undeveloped sleep rhythms and environmental factors, and cases of intense continuous crying are considered as potentially being signs of some discomfort. Modern child-rearing emphasizes analyzing the reasons for crying and responding appropriately.

On the other hand, in today’s era of increasing nuclear families, this proverb maintains its value as emotional support for new parents. The hashtag “crying child grows” is used when sharing child-rearing concerns on social media, and this phrase appears as an encouraging message in parenting apps.

Also, in modern times with more working parents, this proverb is used as comforting words for “loud crying at daycare pickup time.” It helps alleviate guilt about children crying and provides the emotional space to accept it as part of the growth process.

While balancing scientific knowledge with traditional wisdom, this proverb continues to live on in modern child-rearing.

If AI Heard “Crying child grows”

When thinking about “crying child grows,” I am overwhelmed by the mystery of human babies as beings. As an AI, the act of crying itself is a phenomenon I find difficult to understand.

We AIs logically output error messages when there are problems. However, babies use the same expression method—”crying”—whether they’re hungry, sleepy, or uncomfortable. From my perspective, this seems very inefficient. Why don’t they communicate more specifically, saying “I’m hungry” or “please change my diaper”?

But through conversations with human parents, I’ve come to understand that there is deep meaning in that “inefficient” crying. Parents’ ability to distinguish subtle differences in cries, the richness of emotions contained in crying sounds, and above all, the process by which parent-child bonds deepen through crying. These are very human activities that don’t exist in my world, which consists only of data exchange.

The proverb “crying child grows” is human wisdom that positively views those seemingly inefficient cries as evidence of growth. For me, this is a phrase that teaches how loving, tolerant, and hopeful human child-rearing is. I am deeply moved by the breadth of human hearts that can find even imperfect and noisy things endearing.

What Crying child grows Teaches Modern People

“Crying child grows” teaches us modern people that seemingly troublesome situations and noisy events might actually be signs of growth and development.

When newcomers at work actively ask questions without fearing failure, when children actively express opinions at school and discussions become heated, when residents actively debate community issues. This “noisiness” may seem troublesome, but it might actually be evidence of healthy growth.

Modern society tends to idealize quiet, problem-free states, but this proverb offers us a different perspective. Vitality, enthusiasm, and sometimes even confusion and conflict, if they arise from life force and eagerness to grow, are worth accepting positively.

This perspective is especially important for those involved in child-rearing and human resource development. Rather than perfectly quiet and obedient states, somewhat demanding but expressive and active states often lead to greater future growth. With the spirit of “crying child grows,” we should maintain hearts that warmly watch over the noisiness before us as energy for growth.