China's one-child policy has resulted in the rapidly aging population in the country today. (Photo : Reuters)
According to a new survey report, Chinese parents do not entrust their child-rearing practices to experts. Instead, they would rather rely on information from friends, families and even colleagues.
Further, some would rather use the Internet to source some tips on how to educate their children rather than turn to family experts for advice.
A survey encompassing 17,941 Chinese families located across 14 provinces and municipalities said that around 70 percent of Chinese parents do not practice or know the systematic methods for family education.
The survey showed that even though there exists a large social demand, beneficial and scientific family education-related ideas and methods that field experts already deemed effective were not being used by Chinese parents.
The study was sponsored by the Family Education Research Center under the tutelage of the Beijing Normal University's Faculty of Education.
Some of the recommendations of the field experts that are not being followed are not using violence against children, fathers becoming more involved, and fathers and mothers cooperating with each other. Usually, fathers are too busy working to pay closer attention to their children. Chinese mothers, on the other hand, are prone to anxiety; therefore hindering their children's growth as well.
Experts also dissuade parents from asking their grandparents to take on parental duties as well as rely too much on unscientific information found on the Internet. However, these practices are still very common across Chinese households.
Field experts also want to see parents trying to nurture the spiritual needs of the children. In relation to this, parents are called to respect and support their children's natural dispositions for them to grow and develop healthily. However, these are still falling on deaf ears.
