Parents are spending too much time taking their children to school.

Because of fear of traffic accidents, kidnapping and abuse, many parents still diligently take their children to school and extra classes every day, even though some children are 15-16 years old. How long do you plan to take your children to school?!

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Dizzy with picking up and dropping off children

Every time I read articles about Japanese children, I am amazed at how parents in the land of the rising sun teach their children to be independent. Thanks to their parents teaching them life skills from a young age, Japanese children, even at the age of 6-7, can walk 2-3km alone or take the bus or subway to school every day.

Although admiring the Japanese way of educating their children, very few Vietnamese parents dare to let their children go to school alone.

Ms. Thanh Hoa, a mother of two young daughters (in Hanoi), said that usually around 7am, all three of them leave the house. She takes her older child to the secondary school near her house first, then her younger child to primary school. Taking her children to school in the morning is quite easy because it coincides with her working hours. But in the afternoon, the two children finish school at 4:45pm and 5pm, which are still working hours, so to pick up her children on time, she often cuts down on her office time to pick them up at 4:30pm. On days when she has a lot of work at the office and cannot come home to pick up her children, she will ask her husband to pick them up. If her husband cannot pick her up, she will have to ask a neighbor or her mother-in-law who lives nearby to pick her up.

Unlike Ms. Thanh Hoa, Mr. Tran Hao (in Hai Phong) only takes his children to school in the morning, and in the afternoon he hires a motorbike taxi driver from the same neighborhood to pick them up. However, with extra classes in the evening, he feels uneasy about letting his children go with strangers, so Mr. Hao and his wife have to arrange to pick up and drop off their children themselves.

Ms. Minh Huyen, who has two children in grades 3 and 9 (in Bac Ninh), said that on average, she and her husband have to take and pick up their children to school and extra classes about 8-10 times a day. The 3rd grader has a boarding school meal, and is taken to school twice a day and to extra classes twice a day. The 9th grader does not have a boarding school meal, and is taken to school four times and to extra classes twice a day. Many days, to get to extra classes on time, her children only have time to eat a light meal, and the whole family only eats dinner late at night when they come home from school.

It turns out that parents in big cities in our country have to spend too much time taking their children to school. Meanwhile, if parents provide their children with life skills and good ways to handle situations so that they can go to school by themselves, you will have more time to work or simply to rest and relax.

With a short distance and not too chaotic traffic, children can completely go to school by themselves without needing their parents to pick them up.

How to make it safe for children to go to school alone?

Traffic safety and security issues in big cities are indeed fraught with potential risks for children. However, to help children become independent, parents can find many different ways to overcome these difficulties.

Children can walk, bike or take the bus to school. Initially, you should walk with your child or walk behind to ensure that the route is safe. If the route to school takes you through some unsafe areas, you may want to consider taking a different route (even if it is further) or taking the bus instead of walking or biking.

Provide your children with the most basic knowledge about traffic safety such as walking on the sidewalk, if there is no sidewalk, they must walk on the right side of the road. Children also need to be taught how to cross the street, how to stop and park safely, how to avoid other vehicles, not to ride a bike while looking at the phone, not to walk side by side...

If your child goes to school by bicycle, you should equip your child with a helmet (specialized for bicycles) to ensure the safety of the child's head in case of an unfortunate collision with other vehicles.

If your child goes to school by bus, he/she should arrive at the bus stop at least 5-10 minutes earlier than the scheduled time to ensure that he/she does not miss the bus, and only get on and off when the bus has completely stopped. On the bus, your child should be careful to protect his/her personal belongings, and not make noise when using public transport...

If you do not want your child to go to school alone, you can encourage your child to invite the closest classmate to go with them (if any). Fearing that your child may be bullied or scammed, parents should tell their children to limit contact with strangers. If they must contact, they should keep a certain distance and talk to strangers in public places. Absolutely do not follow strangers to deserted places with few people.

Parents can equip their children with 2G phones (only for listening and calling), GPS watches, and tell them to carry a spray bottle to prevent attacks from bad guys. If they encounter any problems on the road that make them worried or feel in danger, shout loudly to attract the attention of passersby.

With a short distance and not too chaotic traffic, children can completely go to school by themselves without their parents taking them. If you are not brave enough to let go, how can children grow up on their own?! Moreover, you cannot take your children to school for the rest of their lives. When children go to high school or university, they will have to go to class by themselves. Therefore, try to train children to be independent from a young age and going to school by themselves is one of the actions that prove that children can live independently.

THANH HUYEN

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