As I read the following article, I can't help but feel we have the
same issues of 'Little Emperors' herer in Singapore
Initially we were told to stop at one, now, many don't even wants
to have even just one due to high costs of living.
Tell me what you think? Are we to be blamed?
===============================================
China's spoilt brats get shock treatment
Boot camps spring up in major cities to tackle over-indulged
children
August 15, 2006
JUST last week, pampered 10-year-old Hao Yi was living a blissful
life at home.
Time for rest for children at a summer camp organised by a slimming
centre in central China. --REUTERS
As he watched DVDs and played computer games, his two sets of
grandparents would feed him sweets and pander to his every
whim.
Days later, the plump child found himself in the middle of a
military assault course clinging on for dear life on top of a
6.5m-tall pole.
Scared to the point of wetting himself, Hao Yi was trying to cross
a narrow plank suspended high above the ground while an instructor
dressed in combat fatigues urged him on.
And he has his parents to thank for putting him through this tough
obstacle course, which is a part of the Golden Dream Summer
Camp.
Like many other children in China, Hao Yi is a product of the
country's single-child policy, which has led to hordes of 'Little
Emperors' growing up spoilt and overweight from being pampered by
parents and grandparents.
To jolt them out of their cushy existence, a rising number of
middle-class parents are sending their children to tough summer
boot camps, reported The Sunday Telegraph.
Scores of such camps have sprung up all over China because of high
demand.
Hao Yi's banker parents paid about RMB2,000 ($400) so that he could
spend 10 days at Golden Dream.
TOUGH LIFE
At the camp, the experience the children get is worlds away from
the comforts they are used to.
When they arrive, they are stripped of their handphones, MP3
players and pocket money. Then, they are ushered to their new
bedrooms - cramped dorms with no television sets or
air-conditioning.
During their stay, they are woken at dawn to go through a series of
tough activities during the day before lights out at 9.30pm.
'They have suffered from too much love,' says the camp's director,
Mr Song Hao, 30.
'They lack discipline, are lazy, selfish and expect to be waited
upon.'
Mr Song blames the phenomenon on China's one-child policy, which
was introduced in 1979 to curb rapid population growth.
He said: 'The parents were over-pampered. But the latest generation
is worse because they have been spoilt rotten. Parents and
grandparents who look after them can't cope, so they send them
here.'
But the camp is about more than just instilling discipline.
'We are here to instill confidence,' said Mr Song.
'Part of the failings of being an only child is that you lack will
and drive. We see great changes in the children after their time
here, and they secretly enjoy it as they make good friends.'
But not everyone appreciates the tough love.
And Mr Song believes that the lack of discipline in some kids is
often a reflection of their parents.
During one camp, a girl who managed to smuggle in her handphone
called her parents to rescue her from the camp. Three friends did
the same.
The next day, four mothers descended on the camp in their BMWs and
gave Mr Song a tongue lashing for treating their kids so
roughly.
'I couldn't tell the difference between the behaviour of some of
the mums and their children,' he said.
'When you see a mother argue with their son or daughter, it's like
watching two 6-year-olds. Neither has developed their emotions
properly.'
That's why last year, he started a day camp catered to just the
parents.
He said: 'They come to learn how to discipline their kids and learn
how to say no to them. They also discover how they were denied a
proper childhood because they were not allowed to fend for
themselves. We are trying to get the two generations to grow up
together.'
