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

Báo Dân Sinh•01/12/2023

Worried about traffic accidents, and fearing their children might be kidnapped or abused, many parents still diligently drive their children to school and extracurricular classes every day, even though some children are already 15 or 16 years old. How long do you plan to keep driving your children to and from school?!

The 6-year-old boy woke up at the sound of the rooster crowing, cooked rice, and took it to school.
Nghe An : Hundreds of parents refuse to send their children to school in protest against school merger.

Overwhelmed by the demands of picking up and dropping off the children.

Every time I read articles about Japanese children, I'm impressed by how parents in the Land of the Rising Sun teach their children to be independent. Thanks to being taught 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 by themselves every day.

Although they admire the Japanese way of raising 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 7 am, all three of them leave the house. She takes her eldest daughter to her secondary school near home first, then to her primary school. Taking the children to school in the morning is quite easy because it coincides with her work schedule. However, in the afternoon, the two girls finish school at 4:45 pm and 5:00 pm, which is still within her working hours, so to be able to pick them up on time, she often cuts short her work time to pick them up at 4:30 pm. On days when she is too busy at work to pick them up, she will ask her husband to do it. If her husband can't, she will have to ask a neighbor or her mother-in-law who lives nearby to help.

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

Ms. Minh Huyen, who has two children in grades 3 and 9 (in Bac Ninh), said that she and her husband have to take their children to and from school and extra classes an average of 8-10 times a day. The 3rd-grade child eats lunch at school, so they are dropped off and picked up twice a day. The 9th-grade child doesn't eat lunch at school, so they are dropped off and picked up four times a day and picked up twice a day. Many days, to make it to extra classes on time, the children only have time for a light snack, and the whole family only eats dinner together late at night when they get home from school.

In fact, parents in major cities in Vietnam are spending far too much time driving their children to and from school. Meanwhile, if parents provide their children with essential life skills and problem-solving abilities so they can go to school independently, they will have more time to work or simply to rest and relax.

With the short distance and relatively smooth traffic, children can easily go to school alone without needing their parents to drop them off.

How can children safely go to school alone?

Traffic safety and security issues in large cities do indeed pose many 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 accompany your child or walk behind them to ensure their route is safe. If the route from your home to school passes through areas with poor security, you should consider switching to a different (even longer) route or having your child take the bus instead of walking or cycling.

Provide your children with the most basic knowledge about traffic safety, such as walking on the sidewalk, and if there is no sidewalk, walking close to the right edge of the road. Children also need to be taught how to cross the road, how to park safely, how to avoid other vehicles, not to look at their phones while cycling, and not to ride in a horizontal line...

If your child rides a bicycle to school, you should equip them with a helmet (specifically designed for bicycles) to ensure their head is protected in the event of a collision with other vehicles.

If children travel to school by bus, they should arrive at the bus stop at least 5-10 minutes before the scheduled time to ensure they don't miss the bus, and only board and alight when the bus has come to a complete stop. On the bus, children need to be careful to protect their personal belongings and avoid making noise while using public transportation.

If you don't want your child to go to school alone, you can encourage them to invite the nearest classmate to go with them (if available). Fearing your child might be bullied or scammed, parents should instruct children to limit contact with strangers, maintain a safe distance if contact is unavoidable, and only talk to strangers in public places. They should absolutely not follow strangers to deserted or sparsely populated areas.

Parents can equip their children with 2G phones (for calls only), GPS tracking watches, and instruct them to carry anti-theft spray. If any problems arise along the way that cause anxiety or danger, they should shout loudly to attract the attention of passersby.

With the short distance and relatively smooth traffic, children can absolutely go to school alone without needing parental escort. If you're not brave enough to let go, how can your child grow up on their own?! Moreover, you can't drive your child around their whole life. When they reach high school or university, they'll be required to go to class on their own. Therefore, try to instill independence in your children from a young age, and going to school independently is one way they can demonstrate that independence.

THANH HUYEN

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