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SCMP Reporter

Mainland mothers should stay home

The government has set up a new regulation: all  mainland women in the late stages of pregnancies will be turned away at border checkpoints unless they have hospital bookings.

his tough new regulation is aimed at preventing overcrowding in public maternity wards.

Mainland pregnant women want to give birth  in Hong Kong  so that their children can get a Hong Kong ID card and a better upbringing.

But I  don't think this is a good thing for   pregnant mothers in Hong Kong. They  pay taxes, but  will not get as many benefits if the hospitals are shared with mainlanders.

The new regulations will reduce the number of mainland women who can give birth in Hong Kong, but I don't think it's fair that local women receive less attention because of the influx of mainlanders.

Cheng Yuk-wing

Our Lady of the Rosary College

The effects of too much TV on children

TV is an important  aspect of many people's lives.  Most families have at least one TV.

A recent survey found that many children watch  more than eight hours of TV a day.

They watch TV as they eat lunch and dinner. They do their homework  in front of the TV.  This means that children aren't communicating with their families or concentrating on their work.

Too much TV can also affect children's eyesight.

If this trend  continues, their health and their school work will suffer.

Something needs to be done to solve this problem as soon as possible.

Hinson Lee King-hin

Christian Alliance S.C. Chan Memorial College

Make an effort to learn languages

Learning a language involves a series of steps. Learning English is no exception. Different people face different difficulties during the learning process.

For example, I feel frustrated  with spelling, writing and listening. It seems that spelling is  a common problem  for students.  And I'm worried that with my poor vocabulary,  I will fall behind in my studies.

As my writing skills are not  very strong, I  have difficulty doing writing tasks.  My sentence structures are often faulty, so my scores are low.

Listening is  another difficult task for me.  It's hard to find opportunities to practise.

But despite  all these problems, I think it's worth making the effort to learn and improve.

If we  are brave enough to make the effort, we will make progress.

Moon Lau

Ju Ching Chu Secondary School (Kwai Chung)

Favourite hobby

Many people have a favourite hobby.  Mine is playing the piano.   When I  play,  I feel relaxed and happy.

Playing the piano  also teaches me music and musicians.

I enjoy my hobby so much that I spend many hours on it.

I've even decided I want to be a musician when I grow up.

Amanda Wong Hau-ching

The Chinese Foundation Secondary School

Dating doesn't have to be problematic

I'm writing in response to the letter 'Dating can lead to serious problems' (Young Post, January 29).

The writer has overestimated the chance of a dating relationship resulting in sex. She suggested that  the chance of an unwanted pregnancy  was a reason not to date.

I agree that schools and parents should not be embarrassed to talk about moral values and sex. However, they should also stress  the importance of dating as a preparatory act for marriage.

Although teenage dating has  disadvantages, it's good to  start seeking  a partner  before everyone  else is settled and  you end up alone.

Further, as most of a person's moral values are already defined upon entry into secondary school, the effects of moral education in secondary  school  are not as significant.  Many teenagers  ignore the moral values taught at school.

Therefore,  as well as moral education, students should be taught about  contraception and safe sex.

Dating, like all other events  in life, has advantages and disadvantages.

Whether or not to date is  a personal decision between two people.

Deryck Chan Yik-kiu

La Salle College

Solve problems the right way

Everyone  has problems. In Hong Kong, most people are busy. They are  under pressure the whole day.

Students  face pressure  from  exams. Housewives have pressure from their  families.

People easily get upset over their problems.  Some  people  hide in  their house. Some will even think about committing suicide.

If you have a  problem, you should talk about it with your parents, friends  or teachers.

Try to think  positively about your problems. If you  do this, your problems  will  be easy to solve.

Chan Kwan-lok

Tsuen Wan Public Ho Chuen Yiu Memorial College

Learn to laugh

Five minutes of laughing  a day  makes you happy and  healthy.

This is a well known fact, but some people think they  don't have time or reason to laugh. Some  have such  stressful  lives,  they don't even want to laugh.

But I think everyone can find five minutes a day to laugh about something. There's an easy four-step method to help you laugh more often.

Firstly, find a time  when you can meet  friends who are willing to laugh with you.

Secondly,  sit in a circle with everyone facing each other.

Thirdly, raise your hands and watch your friends.

Finally,  say 'Ha ha ha!' loudly and continuously.  And believe it or not, you will start laughing.

Just try it. You will  have  fun, and be happy and healthy.

Zita Ng

Fukien Secondary School

Take a chance

We should take every opportunity that's offered to us in life.

For instance, if you the chance to represent your class  in a competition,  use  it to show  what you  can do.

You may change  your teacher's impression of you. You can show people what you are capable of.

Any time you have the

chance to do something new or challenging, take it. You never know what you might learn.

Peggy Lam

Leung Shek Chee College

Perform well

Some people  say that  the world is a stage,  and life is a play.

So, what is your role?  Do you want to be a hero or a villain?  Do you want to harm people or help them?

Actors   play many characters  in their careers.

On the stage of life, we too have many roles to play: child, student, friend and so on. We should try to be the best at each role we play.

But we should not be afraid to listen to the directors of our performance: our parents, friends and teachers.

If you don't know how to play your role, they will help you.

Erica Lau Lai Ming

Shun Lee Catholic Secondary School



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