At about 7:50 a.m. on January 12, a woman squeezed her child's face fiercely on Line 7 of the Beijing subway and made her kneel in public, causing the passengers in the same car to look sideways. Child psychologist Liu Yonghe said that the educational behavior of having children kneel in public has violated the latest laws.
Ms. Wei boarded the subway on Line 7 this morning towards Beijing West Railway Station. At about 7:50 a.m., she saw in the carriage that a seven- or eight-year-old child was sitting on the opposite seat with a mobile phone, and a woman squeezed the child's face fiercely, causing the mask to be pulled off the child's ear. The child silently put on the mask, and the woman took off the child's hat with her hand, and this time the child did not dare to wear the hat. Then, the woman snatched the mobile phone from the child's hand, raised her hand to hit the child again, and the child subconsciously reached out to block it.
"I heard the woman say to the child, 'Don't sit down,' and the two of them went to the other carriage. She threw the child's school bag on the ground and made the child kneel. Ms. Wei said that the child knelt from Wanzi Station to Beijing West Railway Station and knelt for almost a minute. After the subway arrived at the station, the woman herself put her hands in her pockets and left, and the child quickly picked up her school bag and ran after her on her back. In the car, someone in the carriage advised the woman, but the woman replied, "I said my child, I want him to do whatever I want." ”
"I don't know what the child has done wrong, but now the child's self-esteem is so strong, it is too inappropriate to beat the child in public and let the child kneel." Ms. Wei said angrily and bitterly.
Liu Yonghe, a well-known child psychologist, chief education expert of the All-China Women's Federation's "Marriage and Family" magazine, director of the China Family Education Society, and director of the China Family Culture Research Association, said that publicly letting children kneel down on the subway and admit their mistakes is not only a wrong way of education, but also has violated national laws. Article 5 of the Family Education Promotion Law, which came into effect on 1 January 2022, mentions that family education should respect the personal dignity of minors and protect the legitimate rights and interests of minors. In the face of an 8-year-old child, taking a rough approach not only causes psychological trauma to the child, but also causes psychological discomfort to the people around him, which is an unreasonable and irresponsible performance.
Liu Yonghe said that publicly letting children kneel down and admit mistakes will hurt children's self-esteem, make children have inferiority personality, and may also cause children's social anxiety and social avoidance behavior. Because after the child kneels in public, the relationship between himself and others is no longer equal in his heart, and he can no longer face interpersonal interactions normally, which will cause social anxiety.
Liu Yonghe believes that every mistake a child makes is an educational loophole that parents have ever had. When a child is found to have a problem, parents should first self-reflect, then attribute and guide strategies; rather than adopting emotional catharsis, blind characterization, and severe punishment. In public places, it is more important to protect the child's self-esteem, and parents' respect and understanding of the child can awaken the child's introspection and self-love. Liu Yonghe called on parents to carry out family education and learning, and there should be no more incidents similar to harming children.
Source: Beijing Daily Client/Shi Yue