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Often, in hard times, kids turn to their parents for guidance and advice. While we’d like to believe that our parents are always full of wisdom, sometimes the advice we get is not quite what we were seeking.

Thanks to the Internet, people can share the great (or not so great) advice they receive from their parents with the rest of the world. Today we bring you a collection of Japanese parental advice with varying degrees of usefulness and entertainment.

One thing about getting advice from parents as opposed to friends or co-workers is that parents will just tell it to you straight. 

▲ “When on the phone with my mom, she’s like ‘Is work tough? Are you okay? Oh, it’s that bad…?’ So, I was expecting her to say, ‘You can just quit your job and come home, you know,’ but instead I got, ‘Tokoro-san [Japanese comedian] said this on TV: when singing hip-hop music, people think more positively. Wanna try that?’ I just responded, ‘Yeah, I’ll try that.'”

▲ “While I was watching Shinrei TV [a show about ghosts], my dad asked if he could change the channel. I said, ‘What, are you scared, daddy? LOL!’ My dad responded, ‘No, no, they say that the devil goes into people’s spirits through the TV, so, I think it’s better not to be reckless.’ Since my dad is a pastor, it was really persuasive.”

▲ “I got this advice for people worried about balding like their fathers (I’m bald too), ‘In the old days, people had tails, but now they don’t, right? More advanced animals gradually lose the things they don’t need. Hair isn’t necessary either! So, bald people are actually more evolved!’ That’s great! LOL!”

But sometimes, they may just be out to confuse you…

https://twitter.com/69_tako/status/442240816359022593

▲ “While at the DMV, we were asked to ‘Give the correct meanings for green, yellow and red lights.’ I consulted my dad who sent a text with a riddle, ‘If you’re proud, continue; if you have confidence, continue; if you are fearless, continue.'”

▲ “Mom: (While changing the channel) Have you heard of this, Sazae-san Syndrome.
Me: What’s that?
Mom: After watching Sazae-san [a long-running animated TV show] on Sunday night, people realize they have to go back to work the next day and get depressed.
Me: And yet, you still change it to Sazae-san.”

While parents aren’t always the first people you turn to for love advice, that doesn’t mean they don’t have any tips up their sleeves when you do.

▲ “My mom gave me some advice that was little too bold. She said to break someone’s spirit by send a text saying, ‘Sorry for the persistent texts. I was waiting for your message yesterday. Breaking promises is the worst. Good bye.’ It’s cool, but I could never do that! lol”

▲ “[Retweeted because it’s so funny] My mom will be 50 this year. The other day, she came home slightly drunk and saw that I was feeling down about my love life, so she tried to cheer me up. ‘Another good person will come along. You still have a long life. You feel like this now, but you’ll be okay soon. And as for love, what am I going to do when I turn 50…’ Mom, what do you do when you go out?”

▲ “While I was eating lunch, I overheard a mother and daughter talking about the dad finding out about the daughter’s boyfriend. The mom said, ‘If you tell him, “Somehow he reminds me of you, Dad,” it will be okay.’ Red alert to all fathers throughout Japan.”

▲ “When I was getting married, my mom, who had worked while raising me, gave me some practical advice, ‘No matter how tired you are, keep the shower area clean and buy a good rice cooker. During the most difficult times, a bath with cure you. When your partner is being cold, if there is warm rice, things will be okay.'”

While the father may appear to be the head of the family, that doesn’t mean they are the wisest.

▲ “When I go to visit my in-laws, my father-in-law gives me advice about raising kids. Last time, my mother-in-law said, ‘But, you never did any of those things,’ quickly flipping that conversation on its head. Poor father-in-law.”

▲ “When my mom was worrying about what gift to get for my grandmother, my dad gave his advice. He said, with a look of triumph, ‘Women, no matter how old they get, they still want to be seen as women.’ My mom said, ‘… I know!!’ LOL”

Despite their quirks and moments of craziness, once in a while parents do come through with some solid advice, which is probably why we keep going back for more.

▲ “While looking back on my career, my father gave me some surprising but really helpful advice. Really nonchalantly, he said, ‘Even if you change jobs, work at one company for at least three years,’ ‘You must not quit because of trouble with co-workers,’ and ‘Change jobs if you think you will grow as a person because of it.'”

Have your parents ever given you wacky or surprising advice? We’d like to hear it, so tell us about it in the comment sections below!

Source: Naver Matome
Top Image: WikiMedia Commons/RIAA