Let Teenagers Enjoy Childhood
An almost universally known fact is that Asian culture places a strong emphasis on education. Education is often placed at the center of a child’s life and is seen as the only path to success. Study hard, work hard, and make a lot of money. This is the essence and cycle of the Asian culture's definition of success.
In Let Teenagers Try Adult Hood, it suggests for high schools to open up to teenagers, around the age of the high school, to the real world. Students, the author believes, should finish high school by sixteen and focus more on real-world values instead of on the traditional childish, high school American culture.
This idea would most definitely anger some Asian parents as most see education as the only way. Opening the children up to any world that is not a doctor’s, lawyer's, or engineer would send Asian parents into a firestorm.
Years and years of advanced education are required to become a doctor, lawyer, or engineer. There is no requirement for exposure to the real world when working towards these professions. The only thing necessary is education and the furthering of education.
I admit I may be dramatizing it a bit too far.
However, I stretch this to try to emphasize that adults should not focus too much on a child’s education, future, or how prepared they are for the real world.
At the end of the day, teenagers are still kids and they should have the ability to have fun or do what they would like. The necessity of the experiences of the real world and the idea that one needs to put all their time into education is not necessary.
Teenagers should enjoy the time they have now until they are adults. They are still developing and enjoying their last few years of childhood. There is no need for all the added pressure from education and future livelihood or the exposure to the real world.
Teenagers already grow up so fast. Why make them grow up even faster? The moments when teenagers are children are quite precious and will run out eventually.
We should appreciate this fact and let them be children. The joys of being a parent come from raising the children. It is a joy to see them grow up. Again, there is no need to cut it.
Although education is truly important and exposure to the real world as well, it should not be at the forefront of our concern. Simply, we should focus on helping children learn and providing them with good education while still allowing them to enjoy their childhood.
Overall, children should have plenty of fun and be sheltered from the harsh realities and concerns of the real world while they are still children. In truth, they will only get to enjoy a certain amount of leisure time as a child until they finally have to take the huge leap into the real world.