There is no doubt that every parent loves their children. However, parents might be doing things that are unintentionally detrimental. Many Taiwanese parents tend to interfere heavily in their kids’ lives and it is harming kids in different ways.

Parents make kids participate in lots of activities

Many Taiwanese parents arrange lots of activities for their kids. They often send their kids to cram school during weekends or make them learn music. Even though the reason parents do this is to avoid letting their kids waste their free time, doing so is detrimental for kids.

Sometimes parents might be forcing their kids to participate in activities that they are not interested in. It is not only a waste of kids’ time but also a waste of parents’ money.

If parents are worried about their kids wasting their free time, they should discuss with their kids how their children want to spend their free time instead of simply filling up their spare time. If kids propose a reasonable plan, let them do it. This way, kids can learn time management and parents won’t need to be worried.

Parents interfere in students decisions regarding university

Taiwanese parents also interfere in their kids’ decisions for university. The common example is parents wanting their kids to become doctors. However, their kids are thinking otherwise. They might be interested in literature and want to become writers. When this happens, parents will have conflicts with their kids because parents think if their kids major in literature they will be “unsuccessful”.

Being a doctor isn’t more successful than being a writer. Doctors simply have a more stable job than writers. In addition, it is a kid’s choice to choose the career they want. Instead of having arguments with their kids, parents should talk about their concerns to their children as advice.

Authoritarian parents

Oftentimes parents and kids have different opinions on certain things. For example, kids might want to join a sports team but their parents might want them to learn piano or violin instead. In this scenario, many parents would have arguments with their kids. Parents often claim that “this is good for you” but few parents really do analyze the pros and cons of what they are trying to make you do.

Sending their kids to private schools

In recent years, more and more parents are sending their kids to private schools. One reason is in response to the 108 Curriculum. Parents are worried that their kids can’t get into top universities but they aren’t able to supervise their kids. So they send their kids to private schools and let the school do the work for them.

However, the main reason parents do this is because private schools are a lot stricter than public schools. I went to private then public schools during junior high and senior high respectively, so I can easily tell the difference between them. The biggest difference between them is that private schools tend to arrange everything for their students, while public schools tend to let students do the work themselves.

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Taiwanese parents are interfering too much in their kids’ lives. Instead of arranging everything for their children, parents should discuss with their child how they want to manage their time, or just simply allow them to manage their own affairs.