Parents decide a child's future.

Author: Liang Qiuli / Country: Mainland China
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-08-01
Features:
"Apple Education" Domestic Scene: 15-year-old Xiaogang loves to lie, and this is closely related to how his mother used to divide apples when he was young. One day, Xiaogang's mother brought in several apples, red and green, of different sizes. Xiaogang's eyes immediately fell on the big, red apple. At that moment, his mother placed the apples on the table and asked Xiaogang and his younger brother, "Which one do you want?" Xiaogang was about to say he wanted the big and red one, but his younger brother beat him to it. Hearing this, the mother glared at her younger brother and scolded him, "Good children should learn to share their good things with others and not always think about themselves." Then, Xiaogang quickly changed his tune and said, "Mom, I want the small one. The big one can be left for my brother." The mother was very pleased and kissed Xiaogang on the cheek, rewarding him with the big, red apple. Xiaogang got what he wanted but also learned to lie.
International Scene: A famous American once shared the story of his mother dividing apples when he was young. One day, his mother brought in several apples, and both he and his younger brothers fought for the big ones. The mother held up the big and red apple and said to them, "This apple is big and red and delicious—everyone wants it. Very well, now let's have a competition. I'll divide the lawn in front of the house into three parts, one for each of you. Whoever mows it the best will have the right to take it!" The three of them started mowing the lawn, and in the end, he won the big apple. He was very grateful to his mother because she taught him a simple yet important lesson: to get what is good, one must strive for it through their own efforts.
Comparison Analysis: The two stories of dividing apples give us three insights: First, we should not educate children to defy their nature or distort their personalities; second, we should guide and educate them according to their needs, helping them deeply understand the relationship between taking and giving; third, we should teach them to engage in fair competition with others. It is undeniable that the Chinese mother's perspective in the example above is correct, but her method is debatable, as the child learned to lie to get what he wanted. It is common to hear adults standing behind children say, "You are the older sister, you should let your younger brother take precedence—you are a polite and good child." Parents believe that the older child should let the younger one take precedence and take care of them, regardless of fairness. In the process of educating children, parents should strive to seek fairness in terms of human relationships, giving their children a chance to compete fairly. At the same time, like the second example above, the apple was not decided by the mother but gave the children a fair competition. By doing so, everyone worked very hard, and both the winner and the loser maintained a positive attitude. As a result, the older brother, who won the apple through his own efforts, was able to develop normally later. A child's ability to grow up healthily is precisely due to the accumulation of such small events in life, which ultimately shapes their worldview and attitude toward life. This shows that parents play a significant role in their children's growth. In summary, life has no small matters, children have no small matters, and education has no small matters. P6-7