Olympic champion Yang Wei cried late at night that his son Yang Yangyang was too difficult to raise, and 10 years of hard training was nothing
From Yang Wei's anxiety, we can get a glimpse of the "chicken baby" era: when the success criterion is only a one-way street
"Champion Dad" Yang Wei cried late at night that his son was "difficult to raise", pushing the anxiety of "chicken baby" to the front of the stage. The former "Prince of Gymnastics" is now facing the same problem as ordinary parents: he tried his best to train his son, but in exchange for "a bamboo basket for water". After eight years of golf training, he couldn't match the sentence "I want to play basketball". Yang Wei's helplessness reflects the educational dilemma of countless Chinese-style families: when success is narrowly defined as a single standard, when parents' expectations become a burden on children's shoulders, where does the road of "chicken baby" lead?
Yang Wei's anxiety is not an isolated case, but a microcosm of the "involution" anxiety of the whole society. From "can't let children lose at the starting line" to over-education under the "theater effect", anxiety spreads like a virus, enveloping parents and children, running to one track after another. Sports, once a pure land of quality education, has now become an arena for "success". Yang Yangyang's experience is the embodiment of this deformed concept of education.
Seeing children as a tool for "self-realization" is the source of anxiety for "chicken babies". Yang Wei pinned his hopes on his son to inherit the mantle and continue his glory, but ignored the child's own interests and talents. This mentality of "hoping that the child will become a dragon" imposes the will of parents on the child, which may eventually lead to the child losing himself or even rebellious. The success of Zhang Liang's "hands-off" parenting concept just proves the importance of respecting children's personality development.
Excessive focus on "external success" and ignoring "inner growth" is the other side of the anxiety of "chicken baby". Scores, rankings, and awards have become the only yardstick to measure a child's value, while important qualities such as independent thinking, critical spirit, and empathy have been neglected. Yang Wei and his wife have high standards and strict requirements for Yang Yangyang, but they neglect to communicate with the child's heart, which eventually leads to tension in the parent-child relationship.
To break the cycle of "chicken baby", parents need to change their concepts and return to the essence of education. Each child is an individual with unique potential and talents. Parents should let go of anxiety, respect their children's choices, and guide them to discover and develop themselves, rather than imposing their own expectations on their children.
The essence of education is to "ignite", not "fill". Instead of obsessing with creating a "standardized" template for success, it is better to give children more space to explore, let them learn through experimentation, and grow through setbacks. As Gibran said, "Your children are not your children, they are the children born of life's desire for itself." They came into the world through you, but they did not come because of you, they are beside you, but they do not belong to you. ”
Breaking the single success criterion and building a diversified evaluation system is the key to alleviating the anxiety of "chicken babies" in society. When society is no longer based on scores, when success is no longer narrowly defined, parents and children can unload their heavy burdens and soar freely in a broader world.
Yang Wei's anxiety is a warning that reminds us to reflect on the deep problems behind the "chicken baby". Only by returning to the original intention of education and respecting the development of children's personality can children grow up healthily and happily in an atmosphere of love and freedom, and finally become the best version of themselves.