Child-rearing and political activism can go hand-in-hand, at least in Taiwan’s vibrant civil society, based on the experience of hundreds of parents who comprise the Association for Parent Participation Education.
While family obligations are sometimes viewed as an obstacle to social engagement, these parents have made a priority of giving their children a taste of the “classroom of democracy” on the front lines of social movements, from participating in last year’s protests against Penghu County’s referendum on legalizing casinos to camping out for weeks outside the Legislative Yuan during the Sunflower movement.
“We have always promoted the idea that children should not be yelled at or hit, but after becoming parents ourselves, we found out that we were taking our children to play with others whose parents would hit them or yell at them, which was not a good environment,” association president Chang Shu-hui (張淑惠) said.
Chang initially founded a study group with other parents active in the Humanist Education Foundation to provide parents with a platform to learn how to effectively interact with their children without relying on force.
“We established a formal organization within half a year, because we found that there was also a need for a better societal environment: Our children would end up being treated unfavorably if society as a whole does not have a clear concept of human rights, including respect and equality,” she said, adding that participation in social movements was a natural extension of the association’s vision on education.
“Calling for an end to yelling and hitting is not just about relations between parents and children — fundamentally, it is about expelling authoritarianism and inequality from society,” she said. “If you have democracy and equality in your family, you would not abandon rational communication and rely on violence to force someone smaller than yourself to fall in line.”
“As adults, we also have to show children how to shake off authoritarianism by standing up for the weak and paying attention to our surroundings — not just some brilliant leader. If we cultivate this kind of attitude and our children are by our side, civil participation becomes a course in democracy,” she said.
Group members participate in weekly meetings in parks around Greater Taipei, which serve as playtime for children while giving parents the opportunity to meet and organize, with group involvement introducing many mothers to advocacy.
“When you see other people’s protests succeed, you become more willing to try it yourself,” said association member Cindy Chung (鍾欣潔), who had never participated in protests before joining the group.
She has since become involved in efforts such as pushing the Taiwan Railways Administration to adopt “family cars” catering to parents of young children and taking part in activities such as protesting inside Taipei Railway Station, lobbying legislators and meeting with government officials.
The group’s efforts have begun to bear fruit since its establishment two years ago, with the railway administration promising to adopt trial cars by the end of the year, she said.
Other parents have protested against “canned” monotonous playground equipment, linking it to authoritarian ideology.
“You have to let go of restrictions on children based on your own fears if they are to have space to grow — the ideal should not be to just give them a tiny space where nothing happens and they cannot develop their own ideas about how to play,” association member Christine Lee (李玉華) said, adding that a distinction should be made between playground risks and dangers to give children space for innovative play.
Parents protested after German playground equipment installed at the Youth Park in Taipei were disassembled and replaced with standard plastic sets due to overly restrictive safety standards.
Following the protest, the city government has added 10 uniquely designed playground sets around the city, implementing special safety features instead of relying on pre-made equipment, she said.
At a recent meeting, a group of children crawled up stone slides and then slid down on cardboard boxes with encouragement from parents.
Parents’ commitment to diversity has extended to homeschooling a growing number of children, as they seek to cultivate individual interests and prevent children from being homogenized, association member Kuo Hsi-yu (郭希瑜) said.
“Because of the sheer number of students, many schools cannot give up the managing mindset that treats every student the same without paying attention to differences. The result is that children stop caring about what they love and instead work hard to conform to avoid being singled out,” she said.
Homeschooling allows parents the flexibility to craft special classes, such as writing essays and holding a debate on the pros and cons of Penghu County’s referendum on casino legalization.
“We want them to have their own opinions and think deeply, including wrestling with the economic difficulties faced by Penghu and its loss of population rather than just opposing casinos because we oppose them,” she said.
Students have also taken courses on gender equality from the Taiwanese Tongzhi Hotline Association, with families attending a news conference and handing out promotional literature to support the drive to legalize same-sex marriage and organizing a field trip to the legislature to meet lawmakers.
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