# Mom "rewards" son for good grades.
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mom-rewards-son-for-good-grades/104565
**Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share
**Created:** [April 19, 2002, 7:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mom-rewards-son-for-good-grades/104565 "2002-04-19T19:12:44Z")
**Posts on this page:** 20
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@Batsinma\_Belfry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Batsinma_Belfry)
#### Post date: [April 19, 2002, 7:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mom-rewards-son-for-good-grades/104565/1 "2002-04-19T19:12:44Z")
[http://mdn.mainichi.co.jp/waiwai/0201/020106moms.html](http://mdn.mainichi.co.jp/waiwai/0201/020106moms.html)
Gives a whole new meaning to “studying hard”. :eek:
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### Author:  [@auntie\_em](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/auntie_em)
#### Post date: [April 19, 2002, 7:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mom-rewards-son-for-good-grades/104565/2 "2002-04-19T19:36:01Z")
I… I don’t know what to say.
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### Author:  [@lieu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lieu)
#### Post date: [April 19, 2002, 7:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mom-rewards-son-for-good-grades/104565/3 "2002-04-19T19:42:49Z")
The _Harrad Experiment_ meets _All In The Family_.
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### Author:  [@Tranquilis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tranquilis)
#### Post date: [April 19, 2002, 7:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mom-rewards-son-for-good-grades/104565/4 "2002-04-19T19:52:46Z")
:eek: 😕
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### Author:  [@scout1222](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scout1222)
#### Post date: [April 19, 2002, 7:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mom-rewards-son-for-good-grades/104565/5 "2002-04-19T19:57:07Z")
Good lord, tell me this isn’t real.
“But mom, I want to do it with you”.
WHAT???
Hello! I think what’s in order is some counselling, not a hummer…sheesh.
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### Author:  [@Calliope](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Calliope)
#### Post date: [April 19, 2002, 8:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mom-rewards-son-for-good-grades/104565/6 "2002-04-19T20:10:47Z")
Uh…words fail me.
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### Author:  [@CRorex](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CRorex)
#### Post date: [April 19, 2002, 8:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mom-rewards-son-for-good-grades/104565/7 "2002-04-19T20:18:12Z")
All of a sudden I feel much happier with the American education system, how about you guys? 🙂
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### Author:  [@rjung](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rjung)
#### Post date: [April 19, 2002, 8:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mom-rewards-son-for-good-grades/104565/8 "2002-04-19T20:22:54Z")
I know there are Japanese _manga_ (comics) about this sort of stuff, but for **real???** :eek:
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### Author:  [@EVO95](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EVO95)
#### Post date: [April 19, 2002, 8:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mom-rewards-son-for-good-grades/104565/9 "2002-04-19T20:23:47Z")
> [@](#):
>
> Father was surprised but kept his **head**.
:::insert your own joke here:::
Those wacky Japanese, eh?
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### Author:  [@slortar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/slortar)
#### Post date: [April 19, 2002, 8:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mom-rewards-son-for-good-grades/104565/10 "2002-04-19T20:25:01Z")
I thought that sort of thing only happened in Oklahoma…!..
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### Author:  [@Zappo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zappo)
#### Post date: [April 19, 2002, 8:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mom-rewards-son-for-good-grades/104565/11 "2002-04-19T20:28:18Z")
::exits room to boil his eyeballs and scrub his brain with Clorox::
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### Author:  [@Caffeine.addict](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Caffeine.addict)
#### Post date: [April 19, 2002, 8:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mom-rewards-son-for-good-grades/104565/12 "2002-04-19T20:40:44Z")
Damn! That is extremely f\*\*ked up.
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### Author:  [@lieu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lieu)
#### Post date: [April 19, 2002, 8:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mom-rewards-son-for-good-grades/104565/13 "2002-04-19T20:48:32Z")
Hey Oedipus, let’s study at your house tonite.
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### Author:  [@auntie\_em](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/auntie_em)
#### Post date: [April 19, 2002, 8:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mom-rewards-son-for-good-grades/104565/14 "2002-04-19T20:54:47Z")
OK. For real now. Let’s talk about this. It may be a slight hijack to the thread, and God knows I don’t know squat about Japanese culture (save an unfortunate run-in with Natto in an L.A. sushi bar)…
…but how much of this are we willing to attribute to “cultural differences”? I imagine that quite a few posters here have more knowledge of Japanese culture than I, so let’s say it’s a culture we’ve never heard of, and that it’s a common practice in this particular culture for Mom and Junior to get it on between his Algebra and History assignments.
Do we still think these people are sick, sick, sick, or can we argue “different strokes…” (uh… no pun intended)?
Here comes another one of my anecdotes…
My sister married a guy from Nigeria. At the wedding, he engaged in behavior that I thought was pretty damn rude (though not horribly shocking, I mean his mom wasn’t giving him a hummer in the vestibule or anything). My guess was that he just didn’t really _know_ (and my sister didn’t tell him) that it’s rude in America to, say, basically walk away from your own wedding reception (and I mean RIGHT after the vows), leaving your bride there to explain to inquisitive guests (who haven’t even had the chance to meet you) that you “weren’t feeling well” (meanwhile you’re in the basement watching football on TV and yukking it up with your friends). I could go on, but you get the picture…
I was angry at the time, but later chalked it up to cultural differences (because the only alternative was to believe that he knew, and just chose to be a complete asshole).
I was talking to a friend about it, however, and she said that as horrible as it might be, it didn’t really matter whether such behavior was OK in his culture or not.
“It sucks to say,” she said, “but we’re looking at it from OUR cultural perspective, and that’s the environment he’s in NOW, so we CAN be angry about it.”
She elaborated:
“I mean, if you kill my mother, I don’t CARE if killing mothers is part of your culture–I’m still gonna hate you. If we go out on a date and you tie me down and shit in my mouth [hey–I’m just quoting my friend, here], I don’t CARE if it’s part of your culture–I’m still going to think you’re disgusting and am never going out with you again.”
Not a bad point.
So. About those Japanese moms…
What say ye, in light of these arguments?
Just curious…
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### Author:  [@Creaky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Creaky)
#### Post date: [April 19, 2002, 9:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mom-rewards-son-for-good-grades/104565/15 "2002-04-19T21:26:16Z")
Man. All my sister and I got if we brought home good grades was ice cream.
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### Author:  [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)
#### Post date: [April 19, 2002, 9:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mom-rewards-son-for-good-grades/104565/16 "2002-04-19T21:56:59Z")
I don’t care what your culture says-that’s disgusting.
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### Author:  [@saepiroth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/saepiroth)
#### Post date: [April 19, 2002, 10:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mom-rewards-son-for-good-grades/104565/17 "2002-04-19T22:01:49Z")
well, the most important thing to remember about this is that that is the _WaiWai_ column. it’s their job to dig up that sort of thing. just look at some of the archives…
but, it also wouldn’t suprise me if you could find something similar in the US. it’s probably there, it’s just more difficult to find, due to cultural differences and how WaiWai specializes in digging this sort of thing up.
but, as for opinion…
heh heh heh. that was funny in january, and it’s still funny now.
heh heh heh…
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### Author:  [@Fern\_Forest](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fern_Forest)
#### Post date: [April 19, 2002, 10:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mom-rewards-son-for-good-grades/104565/18 "2002-04-19T22:07:50Z")
From this [thread](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=81096&highlight=mainichi)
> [@](#):
>
> \*Originally posted by Sublight \*
> Here’s a reference (sort of). The [Mainichi Daily News](http://mdn.mainichi.co.jp/index.html) has a weekly column (in English) called the [WaiWai](http://mdn.mainichi.co.jp/waiwai/) page, in which the writers translate the most titilating or outrageous stories from Japan’s weekly magazines. These stories were recently compiled in a book titled [Tokyo Confidential](http://www.theeast.co.jp/shop/tokcon.htm). **The “Mother goes down so grades go up” story is included here, but all the sources (for this one, anyway) are third- or fourth-hand**. Still, the book’s an entertaining read.
>
> FWIW, in this version the son was preparing for his high school entrance exams, when his mother discovered that he was spending all his time in his room masturbating instead of studying. She offered him fellatio once a night so that he would spend the rest of his time hitting the books. According to the story, he passed his exams.
>
> –sublight
Bolding mine.
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### Author:  [@LolaBaby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LolaBaby)
#### Post date: [April 19, 2002, 10:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mom-rewards-son-for-good-grades/104565/19 "2002-04-19T22:12:58Z")
Oh my.
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### Author:  [@Mockingbird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mockingbird)
#### Post date: [April 19, 2002, 10:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mom-rewards-son-for-good-grades/104565/20 "2002-04-19T22:20:15Z")
Um… _EW_!!!
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