With light above, we can walk steady and brave. With care and love, a kid can develop a happy childhood. But for rear children, their childhood is like walk with little light as their parents have to leave them behind for the city to work. When a normal happy childhood sounds like but a fairy tale for them, can we expect great harmony in our society, our big family and our next generations?
As many of you may have seen on CCTV during last spring festival, the story of an emotional journey of a migrant family really touched me to the bottom of my heart. On the stage, a migrant couple were presented to the audience by the famous host-Cui Yongyuan together with the chairwoman of National Women’s Association. The Couple couldn’t have gone back home for the New Year to be with their son because of their duties at a restaurant in Beijing. When the host read an article by their son that he missed his mother dearly, the mother bursted into tears.
As the host finished his reading, the son appeared on the stage dramatically. But more dramatic was what their son said: he understood his parents had to leave him behind for city to give him a better future, however, when he grew up, he would rather stay with his own children in the country side than go to a city to work without his children.
These words expose us a common problem of rear children. Acutely these young hearts lack parental tender loving care. Here is the frightening statistics: more than 20million rural children in our countryside are living without their parents by their side. Worse still, these children tend to develop personal disorders, with 3 types commonly seen. First the silent and premature type, shaped by tough experience or hardship from an early age. Second, the dominating and violent type brought up and spoiled by grandparents with little self-discipline. Third, the wild type, neglected with no due care from any relatives.
Fortunately our government has taken initiatives to address this problem as so many migrant workers have made such a big sacrifice for our four modernizations. the chairwoman of National Women’s Association remarked: schools have been set up for migrant workers near their community in the city so that children can come to live with their parents in the city. Volunteers have been recruited to help rear children with their daily life and psychological problems.
But do you think these simple measures are enough to bring happiness to rural children in a new century and bring harmony to our society? Unfortunately, still only a fraction of the 20 million rear children can enjoy this new found happiness. There is so much to be done for these 20 million rear children.
The darkness and loneliness of a journey can be ignored with flowers and songs along the road. So can be our help and support to the walk of a rear child. Let’s join with their parents to create light for their walking, to bring back their innocence and happiness, and to contribute to the harmony of our society, our big family and our next generations
