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Difference between children's education
IN certain respects, children are the same all over the world. But many factors affect the development of children, both parental support and education being major influences. There are vast differences between schooling styles, and parental attitudes towards children, in China and the West.
Some of these differences have obvious causes, for example, the "Little Emperor" syndrome in China. Parents everywhere have dreams for their offspring. However, the concentration of energy invested into planning for a child's future is noticeable in China, as it is not diluted by the presence of siblings.
This adoration can be seen in other ways. One of the most common is spoiling children, giving them everything they want. Some of the time this is a reward for good work, although there are children who receive all they want merely because they demand it from their parents.
Hard work?
Parents also have this tendency to spoil children in the West. If a child does start to see itself as the all-deserving star of the Universe, usually its siblings will tease and bully the child until it stops feeling self-important.
Another contrast between the upbringing of children in China and the West is in schooling. Without a doubt, Chinese children work harder than their European and American counterparts. Their industriousness is admirable, and in comparison, Western students are lazy. In European countries, teenagers will often have a Saturday job, or holiday job, to supplement their allowance. This is rare in China, where education is considered of paramount importance, and time working detracts from study. The same contrast is true of romantic relationships between teenagers. I spoke to Han Li, a 16-year old student in Huhhot, about boyfriends. She said: "I have no time for a boyfriend, even if I did want one. I must study hard, there is a lot of pressure on me to get good grades and go to university."
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