IT goes against all traditions of respecting your elders, but in Hong Kong today, cases are starting to appear: children who bully their parents.
Recently, Mrs Lee tried to get her 15-year-old son to finish one of his increasingly frequent two-hour phone calls and spend more time on homework.
His response was a violent one. Yelling out that he just wanted to be left alone, the Form Four student pushed and kicked his mother away, Such violence by her own child stunned Mrs Lee. In desperation she turned to a school teacher for a solution. ''The mother felt very upset and helpless,'' said the teacher, who has requested anonymity.
''She was a typical Chinese mother. Despite the fact that her son has been in a bad mood for some time, she did not expect this sudden outburst of rage.'' The teacher said that after the incident, the mother had withdrawn from her son for fear of another violent scene and both parties had resorted to silence.
In another case last month, a teenage boy was charged with manslaughter for beating his mother to death. The High Court heard that the 16-year-old lashed out in a fit of rage after his mother scolded him for not eating more vegetables.
Teachers and social workers believe these are not isolated cases.