Since Hong Kong is known for its competitive educational system, parents attempt to get their children into the best schools. Celebrity parents, Kenix Kwok (郭可盈) and Frankie Lam (林文龍), may be putting too much pressure on their 4-year-old daughter, Tania Lam, who barely gets breaks between her kindergarten classes and extra-curricular activities. Back-To-Back Kindergarten Classes To maximize Tania’s learning potential, Kenix enrolled Tania in two kindergarten classes at different schools. In the morning, Tania attends the Christ Church Kindergarten while in the afternoon, she takes classes at the prestigious St. Catherine’s International Kindergarten. Aside from eight hours of schooling a day, Kenix spends approximately $100,000 HKD a year on extra-curricular activities alone. Since Kenix believes that participating in more enrichment classes will allow her daughter to figure out what her interests are, Tania currently takes lessons in figure skating, English, singing, drawing, dance, and piano. The talented Tania already passed her Piano Grade 1 exams. An insider spilled, “Kenix has a very strong personality; many of the household decisions are made by her. The decision for two different kindergarten classes was also hers. She thinks that Tania just watches TV and plays when she is not at school anyway. Nowadays, when Tania goes home from school, she does her homework immediately. After half an hour of rest, she has to practice piano and drawing. It definitely looks tiring.” However, Kenix does not believe that she is overwhelming Tania. On her Sina Weibo blog, Kenix posted, “Don’t worry. I won’t force Tania to do something she doesn’t like. Attending two kindergarten classes is not to pave her path for the future, but to see which one is more suitable for her. It was unexpected that she liked both schools. Watching her happily go to school every day, the principals and teachers can see that Tania loves going to school. I’ll let her enjoy it!” Kenix defended her parenting style, “Don’t just look at the surface and claim [that I'm] a Tiger mom. We emphasize democracy, joy in learning, and most importantly the healthy and happy development of a child.” Parenting with a Relaxed Attitude Like Kenix and Frankie, many artistes have given their children rigorous schedules to follow in hopes of paving a good road for them in the future. Eason Chan (陳奕迅) and Kelly Chan (陳慧琳) send their respective children to the same renowned schools as Kenix. However, there are some parents that are more flexible with their children and allow them to enjoy a little more of their childhood. Claire Yiu (姚嘉妮) expressed that she does not want to give her children too much pressure. “I have friends who enroll their kids in two schools, but I grew up overseas and don’t want my two children in a stressful environment. I won’t force them to join too many extra-curricular activities, but rather, they should focus on playtime instead,” Claire said. Shirley Yeung (楊思琦) also believes it is important for children to enjoy going to school, and will not give her daughter an overly hectic schedule. However, Shirley remarked that if some children can handle taking two kindergarten classes, then it is not a problem. Creds: ihktv
