Tomomi Itano tells her 3 year old daughter, "Stop whining" – Mixed reactions to the "reality" of parenting: "I totally understand" vs. "That sounds harsh"

 

Former AKB48 member and talent Tomomi Itano has received mixed reactions for scolding her fussy toddler, as seen in a video posted on her YouTube channel on March 27, 2025. 

The video that drew attention features Tomomi Itano, her three-year-old daughter, her husband, Yakult Swallows pitcher Keiji Takahashi, and staff visiting a zoo.

During the visit, her daughter starts whining. When Itano asks, "Where are you going?" the child only whimpers in response. Itano then tells her, "Stop whining," lets go of her hand, and says, "If you're going to act like that, we won't come to play. We all came to the zoo together." The daughter quickly reaches for her mother's hand again.

As the whining continues, Itano suggests, "Then go with Papa," but the daughter refuses and keeps holding her mother's hand. A staff member jokingly says, "We'll cut this scene," but Itano insists, "No, we include the moments when I'm scolding too," emphasizing that she wants to show "real" parenting.

Comments on the video were mixed. Some viewers appreciated the honest depiction of parenting, saying, "I’m glad to see the reality of childcare" and "I totally get how Tomochin scolds her child." Others, however, found her tone harsh and felt the way she distanced herself from her daughter was too cold.

Despite the controversy, the video also shows Itano comforting her daughter after she was scolded by Takahashi, encouraging her to have fun. In the end, the child cheers up while riding a go-kart and receiving a capsule toy.

(+61, -547)

Source: Girls Channel

Comments: 

1. If she told me that with a duck face, I'd be too scared not to listen. (+310, -119)

2. That’s pretty wild. (+115, -141)

> > People without kids wouldn’t get it—moms are human too.

3. Try to think about why she's whining. (+468, -287)

4. Their daughter looks like her dad and is super cute. Hopefully, she gets his build too—if she takes after Itano, she might end up short and stubby, which would kinda suck. (+105, -118)

5. Well, that's pretty much what kids are like when they’re whining, right? (+2180, -74)

6. The way she said it might not be great, but honestly, if you only cut that part out, it sounds bad. But let's be real, we've all said something like that once or twice, right? (+2053, -42)

7. I saw this getting a lot of criticism on X. My impression was that she was kind of trying to look cool by filming herself as "the mom who properly scolds her kid." Not sure though. If she's always like that, it’d be sad for her daughter, but since she’s an only child, it doesn't seem like there’s that much to be angry about all the time. (+888, -36)

8. Anyone who complains after just seeing that one moment probably hasn’t raised kids. And if this was abuse, then most families would be guilty of it. (+980, -72)

9. You see scenes like this all the time, no? (+727, -21)

10. I think every parent does it. But I definitely wouldn't have the courage to put it in a video. (+727, -11)

11. I personally wouldn't post a video like that online. Seems like she just wants to start drama on purpose. (+357, -2)

12. A 3-year-old can’t express their feelings well enough with words yet. I'm an adult and even I find it hard sometimes. (+253, -22)

13. I'm looking forward to see what Itano's face will look like in her 40s. (+188, -29)

14. She used to be AKB's gyaru after all (+10, -12)

15. Isn't the husband helping out? (+4, -14)

16. Saying "if you don't do this, then I won't do that" isn’t really good, no? But I totally get why someone would say it. (+337, -6)

17. Just looking at that clipped part, it did seem cold, but we don’t know what happened before and after. If the kid had been whining for a long time, that reaction makes sense. (+15, -6)

18. I was surprised they actually used that on YouTube, lol. My mom was like that too, and I really hated it. Even now, I don’t respect or appreciate her as a mother. (+282, -28)

19. I often see parents treating their young kids like friends or partners and raising them this way. That said, some kids still grow up with a good relationship with their parents, so who knows? I’m not here to judge. (+113, -5)

20. Feeling the need to report every little thing seems like a mental issue to me. (+168, -2)

21. I saw her once, and she gave off such a bad vibe. I don’t like her—she totally looks down on regular people. (+176, -10)