Voices
Are you ready to be the slave of raising children?
By Zhang Ling (China Daily)
Updated: 2010-03-09 11:00
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Recently, some young parents have started to list the cost of raising a child on the Internet.
According to a survey released in 2005 by the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, it would cost at least 400,000 yuan to raise a child to adulthood.
But with the country's booming economic progress, people now suggest that the true cost is far greater.
Following on from the "mortgage slave" and "credit-card slave", these pressured parents are now grouped under a new social identity and are known as "the slaves of raising children". These slaves to their children avoid high-level consumption, dare not change their jobs frequently, and are even anxious to be ill.
According to discussions on the Internet, it seems many people, especially the post-80s generation, are feeling increasing pressure by city life and the high cost of living.
However, most still plan to raise children, mainly because they are influenced by Chinese traditions, and because of the constant urging of parents, friends and colleagues to have a family.
One female netizen said, "I am very scared and don't know what I should do to be a qualified mom, but I will try my best to shoulder the responsibility to be a good mom. What a challenge."
Another commented, "Every day we fight for survival in the city, life is full of uncertainties, perhaps we will not consider having a baby until we both have secure jobs and save enough money."
Nevertheless, raising children differs from buying a house or a car. In the face of increasingly fierce social competition, parents are afraid that their children will fall behind at the starting line.
They want to give their children a good start in life as young as possible. Peer pressure is hard for parents to avoid, but it deflects from the real responsibility of bringing up children.
Let these slaves to their children learn from the example of Warren Buffett. When Buffett 's youngest son decided to become a musician, Warren offered moral but not financial support.
"My father would not have served as an enabler of my taking the easy way out. That would not have been an exercise of privilege, but of diminishment," said his son Peter Buffett.
The responsibility of raising a child is not to provide him or her with a better environment than other children.
The most important requirement of parenthood is to give children love, to provide a loving secure environment where children can grow up healthy and happy.
Instead of growing up in a material world and being forced to participate in a variety of training classes or improvement programs, children should be enabled to freely explore their creativity and curiosity.
What children need most is their parents' love and encouragement, anytime and anywhere. They need quality time with their parents who should not neglect them in favor of work.
So, dear "slaves of raising children", while financial problems can be a real problem, never let it become a real problem to raising your children. I hope this article can help you guys relieve a little bit of stress on your shoulders.
