Give children room to spread their wings
Schoolchildren these days often have calendars that are as packed as those of their parents, if not more.
Besides school, many wake up to an endless chain of extra-curricular activities at weekends and during school holidays, as parents are under immense peer pressure to ensure their kids do not lose out in the race to develop point-scoring skills or build up a competitive portfolio for entry into elite schools.
But do we know where the interests or talents of children lie? Instead of imposing what we think they like or determining what is good for them, shouldn’t our duty be to give them room to explore their potential?
Last Sunday, I took my two children, both under 10, to the Riding High Together Festival organised by the Jockey Club at Sha Tin Racecourse. The event dished up a variety of games and arts and crafts activities for kids – from traditional art forms such as Tai Hang fire dragon crafting and African drum workshops, to innovative entertainment that mixed virtual reality with sports.
What surprised me was that my children happily went for tasks that we never thought would come naturally to them.
My chatterbox of a son found he enjoyed Chinese paper-cutting and Western calligraphy because, in his words, he could “be left alone and create something quiet and beautiful”.