To Young Mothers (Revised Edition)

Author: Lu Qin
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2005-08-01
Features: The first parenting work by the nationally renowned "Heart-to-Heart Sister," written as heartfelt advice for young mothers. Every page of the book records the tenderness, warmth, depth, strength, selflessness, and greatness of motherly love; it also documents a mother's mistakes, shortcomings, and the worries and misfortunes she brings to her child. This book will accompany young mothers as they grow, and also accompany their children as they grow day by day. It is essential for children to fully understand their parents. This does not mean that parents must work hard even after coming home; rather, it means letting children know what their parents do all day and who they toil for. During my interview in Hainan, I learned about a primary school for children of miners who placed great emphasis on teaching their students to love their parents. They organized an annual activity called "I Replace My Parents for a Day of Work." The children wore their parents' work uniforms and worked all day, many of them exhausted with aching backs and legs. The children then understood why their fathers would get angry if they disturbed them while sleeping at night—it was because dozing down in the mine could easily lead to accidents. The children also understood why their fathers sometimes had a short temper—it was because the labor in the mines was indeed very hard. As a result, the children became more mature. They formed a "Safety Patrol Team" and took on the role of "Black Cat Chief": whenever a worker had a night shift, they would set up a sign in front of their house saying, "No noise here, Uncle is resting." By the time their parents came home from work, the children had already prepared water for washing faces and cooked meals to welcome them. If parents do not leave an image of hard work in their children's minds, the children may grow up to be mere consumers rather than laborers, as they will not understand what labor means. Only when our children understand their parents can they truly love and care for them. I have a personal experience in this regard. My husband and I work very busy, so we have little time to take care of our child. The child knows that we are busy with work every day, so he does not rely on us and does his own things, helping with household chores as well. When my son was in fourth grade of primary school, I took him to participate in an activity called "Winter Holiday Children's World." That day, my task was to be a "Heart-to-Heart Sister consultant." My son is a little chubby and loves to eat, so he was willing to go with me mainly because he wanted me to treat him to lunch. Unexpectedly, by the time the activity ended, it was already 1:30 in the afternoon. The nearby restaurants were closed, so we had to buy some bread to eat. A few days later, I happened to see an essay my son had written: "On Sunday, I went to the Culture Palace with the 'Heart-to-Heart Sister' to work..."