Congratulation to Lichung Ker, the winner of this year's writing contest.
Also, thanks to the judges, Clarence and Eva, for once again taking time out to read the contest entries. I really appreciate it!
Topic
To what degree does a parent “own” his child? And what conditions should prompt a state to intercede.
His Essay
Since everyone is individual, I do not agree that a parent owns his child. However, it is real that, for the sake of safety, children should be prohibited from doing dangerous or unhealthy things, such as drug abuse. Except for security concerns, I think parents should let children make their own decisions.
Giving children freedom can help them growing quicker. Children would become more mature through the process of making a decision. For instance, when a child is given some money, he will start to consider how to spend the money; like buying a candy or purchasing a toy. A Candy can fulfill the child’s desire of eating something sweet, but the feeling won’t last long; on the other hand, although a toy may be used for a long time, it is more expensive than a candy and that means the child need to save the money at that moment he is given. By this kind of thinking, children will know how to deal with their desires. Moreover, children get large amount of confidence from achieving their self-made goals. I do remember the joy of defeating older players on the basketball court when I was young; it gave me the confidence to face any challenge of my following playing basketball experiences.
However, children sometimes may try dangerous things just for fun without considering the bad results. For example, a young may go playing with water in the forbidden areas or riding a motorcycle without license. It’s a pity that both things may result in accidents. What’s worse, many teenagers taste tobacco or illegal drugs because of curiosity but never draw themselves back from drug addiction. Therefore, although I do not agree parents “own” their children, they should be warned and protected from those unhealthy deeds until they reach the legal age and should be responsible for themselves.
Of course, as one part of a family, children have their duties. Since parents work hard to nurture their child, a child should do some housework. I think it is suitable to ask children tidy their own room, wash dishes, or sweep the floor. However, it is immoderate that some parents ask their children making money or beat them as an emotion outlet. In these cases, a state should intercede with it. Children are born to be “loved” instead of be “hated”. Parents do have the obligation to take care of their children.
Child can be the source of happiness. I do believe parents can get lots of pleasure if they treat their child in the way of “helping him growing up” instead of treating as an “object” and they “own” it.
