• I am grateful and happy that they take the initiative to do the housework on weekends because I can’t do it on weekdays due to work.
• They are very helpful because they do it on their own. I appreciate that they do it without making me feel bad about it.
• I appreciate the fact that he is actively involved in housework and childcare and prioritizes time with his family above all else.
• I am glad that he doesn’t work overtime and runs and goes straight home. I know the kids love their dad because he spends so much time with them.
• I’m always happy to cook on the weekends!
• I really appreciate that on weekends and holidays you play outside with the kids to give me some alone time.
• I’m glad you always say “thank you.”

• Just thank you for everything!
• I am thankful every day!
• I’m always left to my own devices and I can’t get my head around it.
• I can’t do it alone, so please don’t hold me back.
• They take the initiative to do the details that I don’t notice.
• I have great respect for the fact that you always put the child first!
• They make you work hard at your job.

　Busy couples make a conscious effort to make time for each other! Positive words abound in the home.

While it is important to take time for housework and childcare, it is even more important to ensure that the couple has proper time for communication. Daily conversations such as, “Haven’t you washed the dishes yet?” or “Please pick me up! or “Please pick me up from school!”, it can be a bit of a deadly situation. Try to consciously make time to talk about the future of your family and how you can have a good time together, such as “When the kids grow up, I want to go to this place” or “I want to talk about our respective careers. If you don’t make a conscious effort to do so, the days will pass by quickly. And when you are straightforward about the good things about each other and how much you appreciate each other, and when your home is filled with positive words, it will have a positive impact on your children as well. I hope the home becomes an empowering space for the whole family! I hope that the results of this survey will inspire you to change your thinking and behavior by asking yourself what it is like in your own home.

　Male childcare is good for both the family and society!

Men raising children is still a relatively recent phenomenon worldwide, and in all countries the duration is shorter than for women. But what we have found in the research world is that the results are much more positive than people think. I think that male child rearing is one of the most underrated of all family policies. In this day and age, I think the difficulty of having children is overemphasized, but having children also means gaining a joy that is incomparable to anything else. For me personally, it has made me wonder, “Why did I work so hard all this time?” My sense of value has changed 180 degrees. There is no doubt that it is hard work, but I would like people to be more bold and take the plunge into having children. The systems related to childcare are getting better and better, and the people around you are much more supportive than you think. The secret to a happy marriage is to start the same way with planned childcare! I hope that you will cooperate with each other as you go about your childcare and household chores.