A childhood devoid of play and quality time with parents would likely lead to rebellion in adolescence, parenting groups said on Wednesday, in response to an intensive schedule for two elementary schoolers that went viral online.
A Taipei-based cram school on Tuesday posted on Facebook praising the achievements of two siblings named Felix and Jenny, who are in sixth and fourth grade respectively.
The post included their weekly schedule, which leaves time for only six hours and 20 minutes of sleep every night.
Photo: Taipei Times
According to the schedule, they wake up at 5:50am every day for two hours of Kumon work before attending elementary school and cram school on the weekdays until 7pm, then practicing piano and English until 11:30pm. They do homework and eat dinner on the bus.
The weekend is also packed with homework, class, piano practice, swimming lessons and other activities, showing no scheduled down time.
The post went viral on many parenting groups, with some calling for the case to be reported for child abuse.
Sleeping so little every day is not good for a child’s growth, National Alliance of Parents Organization chairman Hsiao Tung-yuan (蕭東原) said.
The organization sees many cases in which the parents organize excessive activities for their child, but it is not clear whether the child actually enjoys it, he said.
Especially prior to middle school, many children try their best to comply with their parents’ wishes, he said.
However, if it continues for a long time, Hsiao said he fears it would create significant conflict once they become teenagers.
Self-directed study and play is especially important in elementary school, sometimes teaching more than school does, he said.
“Classes and lessons should not replace quality time with parents,” Action Alliance on Basic Education chairman Wang Han-yang (王瀚陽) said.
Many parents underestimate the importance of free time, he said, adding that the schedule leaves no time for interaction, reflection or play.
Wang encouraged parents to communicate more with their children, ask questions and observe their interests in order to support them, or else it would be difficult for children to express their thoughts.
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