Don’t Push!!!

It’s unmistakably that parents worry about their kid’s future.  Whether it is human nature to expect a new generation of kids to be better than the last, we all can relate to pushing our kids to succeed.  This push can of course vary on many societal and economic factors.  Not to mention psychological ones as well.

In Taiwan pushing or punishing kids to excel is the agreed consensus among parents.  It’s the unwritten rule where a kid needs to show excellence and scholarship at soon as they begin walking.  It’s high prestige to have a 3 or 4-year-old recite the multiplication table or simple addition.

Whether the child understands the meaning of what he is learning will not be known until he gets into the best schools.  Testing is rampant and it’s the deal breaker to whether a child is capable of conducting himself during pressured situations with limited time.

By the time they reach 2 years of age, a child is expected to start a learning process.  Parents sacrifice themselves for their children.  That’s admirable, and something that parents across societies do, however, motor skills are greatly sacrificed.

Personally, my kid needs to play and fine tune his physical development.  Local Taiwanese parents usually wonder why my son is not enrolled in a school since he is 4 already.  Well, he is 5 now if I count the time in the womb as a year. 

I usually tell them that his only task is to explore the world around him.  He needs to feel, touch, communicate…etc.  So he doesn’t have any extra curricular classes that will make him into a Mozart or Picasso.  I’m more concern with his emotional well – being than his intellectual one.

Everyday I see kids rushed to their music, art, dance, science, or math classes.   With parents hoping that a head start will mean a better life.  The child must sacrifice his ego to please his parents and environment.

At age 4, my son can’t add very well or understand the complexities of multiplying.  I’m more focused on his building skills and emotional progress.  It’s vital for him to play with his environment in order to absorb sensations and knowledge that comes with it.  That’s something many local kids lack.  So I don’t push…

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