Drama highlights poll showing study is main topic of chats with many parents An angry mother was so desperate to get her seven-year-old to do her homework yesterday that she injured her daughter with a knife, and ended up being arrested. The 29-year-old mother was preparing food in her Fanling home at 10am and her daughter was playing in the living room. She was ignoring repeated calls to finish her homework. The mother got angry and came out of the kitchen with a knife in her hand, shouting at her child, who continued to ignore her. 'A row erupted, during which the mother slashed her daughter's left middle finger by accident, leaving an inch-long wound,' a police spokesman said. The daughter rang her father, who was working in a nearby restaurant, and told him she was in pain. He called the police. Police officers found the mother had locked herself in a room. Police called in firemen as a precaution. But after a brief talk, the officers persuaded the mother to surrender. The mother and child were treated at North District Hospital. The mother was later discharged. She was arrested and released on HK$500 bail last night. The daughter, who was suffering from shock, was in stable condition last night. The family of four live in a village near Queen's Hill, Fanling. The couple also have an 18-month-old daughter. The mainland mother was reunited with her husband and daughters 18 months ago. Paulina Kwok Chi-ying, supervisor of Caritas Family Crisis Support Centre, urged parents to stay calm. 'Many parents lose their temper when getting their children to do school work and we have handled many such cases,' Ms Kwok said. 'But parents should stay calm and regain some self-control when they feel like they are about to explode.' Counselling and more help should be given to families, especially in cases where the mother was a new migrant. 'New immigrants usually do not have lots of support in society and their circle of friends is small. They tend to focus a lot on their children. If their kids are not behaving well, they can get emotional and this might even lead to domestic violence,' she said. Her comments come after the findings of a Caritas centre survey conducted last month that found 38 per cent of the 933 students polled said talking about academic achievements with their parents was the top topic. The centre sent 1,000 questionnaires to schools and also conducted random street polls. 'Children cannot always get good grades and not every kid can do well in exams. Parents should love their children just the way they are and respect them as there must be something else they are good at,' Ms Kwok said. Children under too much pressure from studies tended to isolate themselves or even commit suicide in extreme cases. What not to say The following are examples of parents' comments submitted in the survey: Get out! Go away! I don't want to see you any more! How come you're so useless? Look at other children! They do so well! Your sister is doing a doctorate but you have no academic talent at all! I am not your mother! I'd rather have given birth to roasted pork than to you! I hate you! I told you not to do it and you don't listen to me! You're so stupid! Do you have a brain? Source: Caritas Family Crisis Support Centre
