父親が厳しく叱った後に、母親が子供をフォローしてあげるようにすると、親子の関係はよくなるそうです。

Question

父親が厳しく叱った後に、母親が子供をフォローしてあげるようにすると、親子の関係はよくなるそうです。

I am having trouble understanding what the heck is the katakana フォロー doing right smack of this Japanese sentence. What does it mean, PHYSICALLY FOLLOW? or follow like on Twitter followers? Or Follow like follow the dad's example and SCREAM at the kid some more.

My Interpretation: After the Dad screams and yells his lungs out at the kid, the mom should follow (フォロー) the Dad's example and ALSO scream her lungs out at the kid, this is a GREAT way to raise your kids.

amirite?

Answer 1

フォローする as a Japanese verb also means "to make up for one's mistake", "to lend a hand (after something undesirable happens)" or "to give follow-on support".

失敗してもフォローするので、思いきってやってください。
Even if you fail, I can give a hand (and make up for the mistake), so just go for it.

Imagine someone who watches over you from behind and lends a hand whenever you need it. In this case, what the mother does is to comfort the child and gently tell him what he did wrong.