Old Enough

The 1990s Japanese reality show “Old Enough” has finally made its way into my life and in a word, it’s truly wonderful! Children, up to aged 5, but as young as 2 are asked to go and run errands for their parents, such as walking down to the local shop to buy food or going home to prepare drinks for the family. And the children believe they are going ALONE! There’s a camera crew following them and documenting the process, but they’re in disguise and as far as the children are concerned they are just passers-by! 

As a Montessorian, what I love about this whole concept is the fact that these parents have entrusted their children with jobs and stepped back, stepped away and allowed their children to rise to the challenges. Young children are so capable, more capable than often adults give them credit for, and this program highlights that in such a sweet way. 

Encouraging children to be independent and make choices for themselves is a core principle of the Montessori approach. As a child’s independence increases, so do their confidence in all areas of their life. 

I do think there are cultural differences at play, which allows this to be a successful concept. Old Enough is filmed in Japan where there is a big emphasis on adults nurturing children’s responsibilities within the home and family. So a child walking to the shops unattended is met with a different mindset than perhaps the UK or USA, for example. But who’s to say? And perhaps it would go the same way if it was filmed with British children.