Written by the Japanese writer Maiko Seo（瀬尾, And So the Baton was Passed) is significant in terms of how it challenges the traditional and gendered parenting style in Japan. It demonstrates the possibility of alternative family building. Parental gender roles are quite rigid in Japan. For instance, mothers are supposed to take care of children and fathers are expected to be breadwinners. Yet the novel shows a different pattern. Mothers do not need to take up sole child rearing responsibilities and fathers could participate in child rearing. This novel questions the traditional assumption that birth parents should raise their children, and suggests that adoption could be an alternative way to ensure the wellbeing of children. This chapter argues how the novel confounds the traditional Japanese views of family supported by the patriarchal social structures while looking at official data on children and family. It then concludes through a critical analysis on who should raise children for their wellbeing.