Tomorrow is New Year's Day, and the second child's school will hold a class party, and every student needs to bring snacks to go. So I went to the snack shop with my second child to shop. However, when we arrived at the door of the snack shop, I was simply shocked by what we saw. The doors are lined with cardboard boxes of all kinds, leaving only a limited entrance. The store is even more crowded, full of adults and children. The children carefully selected their favorite snacks, while the adults patiently accompanied them with baskets. Seeing that the children are wearing uniform uniforms, it is presumable that other classes will also hold similar celebrations. There was a long queue in front of the cash register, and an extra cash register was opened today, and there were two staff members on each desk who were busy checking out. So, I decided to let pick out the snacks on his own, while I started queuing up to pay the bills. In the end, it took us 22 minutes to check out and leave the snack shop. The school organizes these events twice a year: Children's Day in the first half of the year and New Year's Day in the second half of the year. It's the same scene every time, and every child has to buy snacks to take to school. A few parents were very generous and prepared a snack for each child according to the number of students in the class. However, such generous parents are only a very small minority. However, the class teacher will praise such parents in the parent group, detailing what snacks they have bought, and showing their love. Subsequently, other parents will follow up and buy some snacks to send to the school after seeing this message, and the teacher will praise them again. The situation is indeed somewhat awkward for families who cannot afford this financial pressure. Many parents, despite financial difficulties, cannot stand the scene in front of them. I especially miss the days when I was a child and attended the school party, every year on June 1st or New Year's Day, when I returned to the classroom after the event, the teacher would give everyone five fruit candies, eat one for myself, and take the rest home to share the joy with my parents and siblings. The sugar was sweet at that time, and we were happy.
In the snack shop, the children happily picked out their favorite snacks. The singing students in this show bought some small snacks, which are beautifully packaged, crispy and delicious, and the singing students hope to be able to share them with everyone during the performance. The dancing students chose some fruity candies and chocolates, which are colorful and rich in taste, hoping to show their vitality and charm in the dance performance. The children picked out their favorite snacks, and the children's eyes lit up as they looked at the shelves with a wide variety of candy, cookies, potato chips, etc., and excited smiles bloomed on their faces. Adults, on the other hand, patiently accompany the children, giving them freedom of choice and decision-making. Looking at such a scene, I can't help but sigh at how happy the children are now, to be able to have so many delicious snacks for them to choose from. At the same time, I also feel heartache for families who are struggling financially and may not be able to provide such an abundance of snacks for their children. This phenomenon reminds me of my own childhood, when we used to buy snacks but didn't have so many choices, maybe just a few sweets or cookies, but enough to be happy.
The situation is indeed somewhat awkward for families who cannot afford this financial pressure. They may have to explain their difficulties to the children, telling them that it is not because they don't love them that they can't provide a lot of snacks. While children may understand, there's no way to have a hearty snack like other children. They may have to choose to buy some cheaper snacks or simply skip them to school to avoid embarrassment and low self-esteem. This situation makes me feel powerless, and I am also worried and heartbroken for these families. From another point of view, such a scene also exposes the competitive pressure among parents. They may have to follow up on the trend by buying some snacks because other parents have prepared a lot of snacks, so as not to be perceived as not loving their children enough. This invisible pressure can make them feel uneasy and annoyed. Perhaps in some families, such a scene can also trigger some negative emotions and even cause unnecessary conflicts and quarrels. For me personally, seeing this situation reminds me of the importance of family education, which should focus on cultivating children's values and outlook on life, so that they can understand contentment and gratitude.
As I watched the children pick out snacks, I couldn't help but recall the days when we were kids at school parties. Every year on June 1st or New Year's Day, when you return to the classroom after the activity, the teacher will give everyone five fruit candies. Of the five fruit candies, we can eat one for ourselves and take the rest home to share the joy with our parents and siblings. I remember that the sweets were very sweet and we were full of joy. We don't chase too much about the variety and quantity of candy, but the joy of being able to share with our family is more precious. Compared to the current snack buying boom, the scene at that time seemed much simpler and more innocent. I think during that time, we learned the importance of sharing and gratitude, and we also cherished every hard-won candy even more. At that time, although the candy was simple, it was full of endless happiness and memories.
Through this experience of accompanying my second child to buy snacks, I have a deeper thinking about the current family education and consumption concept. Today's parents are often influenced by the social environment, and the excessive pursuit of material comforts will also bring some unnecessary psychological and economic pressure to their children to some extent. Although there is no substitute for children's happiness, we should also think about how to let them be happy in a simpler and more precious way, and cultivate their values and correct consumption concepts. In the face of financial pressure, we can teach our children to be content and share happiness with them. Recognizing that wealth is not the only measure of love and affection, we can face life's difficulties with greater warmth and gratitude. The most important thing is to educate children to understand that true love does not depend on material things, but on inner care and companionship.
Through this shopping escort, I once again felt the responsibility and importance of being a parent. We need to give children the right guidance and education to help them establish the right values and outlook on life. In the face of difficulties and pressures, we need to give them selfless care and support, so that they can understand the warmth and strength of family. As parents, we can appropriately adjust our consumption concepts and focus on cultivating children's contentment and gratitude. Only then will we be able to help them on the path to a healthier, happier and more meaningful life.