Sunday night saw D.A. (The infamous, nature-loving housemate of mine - refer back to previous posts if your memory is a bit shit) having a mental breakdown in the middle of the diaper aisle in the local supermarket. The sheer complexity of the nappy buying process had us in complete freak out mode - is 5kg the amount of wee it can hold? What does NB stand for? What waist size does a 2 year old have?
Whilst I really do like kids, and genuinely can't wait to have my own (my kiddy-winkles and I would have matching trainers fo' sho'!) I think this experience has cemented the fact that I'm just not ready yet.
And sure, seeing all these super adorable Chinese bambinos around with their awesome hair and cute expressions makes me broody as hell - but when I really think about it, I'm not all that convinced that I would like to raise them in Hong Kong.
The pressure to succeed is pretty hardcore, regardless of age. Parental expectations for their child are incredibly ambitious, especially in Chinese culture. Lets face it, if you're not an accountant, doctor, or lawyer, then what the hell are doing with your life? The general path is to study hard, get top grades, go to university, get a job, make lots of money, get married, have kids.
This process literally starts the minute the child breathes in his first lungful of air when he reaches this world. The pressure really is on - there are soccer-tots classes starting at 18mths old, swimming classes, ice skating classes, Mandarin classes, ballet classes, musical instrument classes, tennis lessons..the list of extra-curricular activities for a primary schooler is pretty freaking intense! There's a nine year old boy (some sort of very distant relative) that has 10 hours of squash practice a week. I think my arms would actually fall off. Not to mention the extra tuition, the extra study classes, the sheer level of homework can amount to several HOURS per night! I mean, they're like eight years old.. surely they should be out playing instead of locked in a clarinet lesson or stuck doing a mountain of homework?
My almost three year old cousin had to have eight interviews for kindergarten alone, EIGHT. I just want to put this in perspective; I had four interviews to get into university. In my twenty-two year existence, I've attended seven job interviews. And you're telling me that the average pre-k kid has to go for more interviews just for kindergarten than some people do in their careers? Whaaaat. That's just not right.
I think this kind of environment is something that I wouldn't be willing to put my own child through. I actually want them to be able to play out and enjoy their childhood, instead of rushing from one study session to another. I mean, the only extra curricular I took at school was cello lessons (I wish I'd chosen a more portable instrument- it was so heavy!) and I can honestly say that it hasn't really helped me that much in my adult life. What I do appreciate however, was the freedom I was given - and I turned out alright!
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