These small wishes are enough to make adults pause and reflect on how they are accompanying their children on their journey to adulthood.
I like my parents more than the TV.
“I prefer my parents playing with me rather than watching TV,” Phạm Trần Khánh Ngọc, a second-grade student at Núi Thành Primary School, answered immediately upon hearing the question.
At just 7 years old, her schedule is almost completely packed all week. After regular school classes, she attends math, English, piano, and then art class. Her parents want her to develop comprehensively, so they try to arrange many activities for Ngoc to participate in. However, what she desires most is very simple. "I like to play with my parents. When they're busy, I watch TV. But I still like my parents more."
Khanh Ngoc loves drawing and making paper toys. Whenever she finishes a picture or a self-made toy, she runs to find someone to show it to. What she looks forward to most isn't the praise, but having someone sit beside her, watch, and listen to her talk about what she's just created.
What I need is to be trusted.
As she gets older, her desires grow, along with the pressures of adolescence. Nguyen Thao Phuong, a 10th-grade student at Phan Chau Trinh High School, has just entered her dream school after a challenging entrance exam. Besides studying, she also dedicates a lot of time to music – a passion she's had since childhood.
Being able to stand on stage and sing makes Phuong happy. But there are also times when she feels she's not good enough, not skilled enough to balance her studies and her passion. "Whenever I'm sad or lack confidence, I always confide in my parents," Phuong said.
Parents don't always have the answers to every question, but for Phuong, being listened to is a huge encouragement. "What we need isn't comparison or scolding. What we need is to be listened to, to be trusted, and to be encouraged at the right time."
Phuong's dream is to continue pursuing music and later bring joy and empathy to people through her singing. She believes that with her family's trust, the path to her dream will be less challenging.
I just wish my parents would argue less.
Around 3 PM each day, while many of her classmates begin heading to tutoring centers, Dam Ngoc Kim Ng., a 12th-grade student at Lien Chieu High School, rides nearly 10 kilometers with her older brother to Hoa Xuan market to help their mother sell fish. This work lasts until about 8 PM. Upon returning home, she then quickly reviews her lessons for the next day.
Ng.'s schedule, juggling her final year of high school with helping her family, left her almost completely occupied. Despite this, she still managed to find time to study, enrolling in extra classes in Math and Literature, and independently preparing her language skills and computer abilities for her dream of studying Marketing abroad.
However, when asked about her greatest wish, Ng. didn't mention scholarships, good grades, or a university. She simply said, "I hope my parents always get along and don't argue anymore." In the memory of this high school senior, the times her parents raised their voices at each other all stemmed from the pressures of making a living. She doesn't blame anyone, only feels sorry for both her father and mother as they face so many burdens in life. "My mother is the person I can confide in the most. Sometimes she scolds me, but I don't get angry because I know she's only worried about me. As for my father, I share less because I find it difficult to talk to him," Ng. said softly.
Ngân secretly cherishes her dream of studying abroad. She hasn't told her parents yet, wanting to prepare thoroughly before discussing her plans. For Ngân, every hour of language study, every skill she acquires today, is a small brick in the building block of her future path. But most importantly, amidst her many future plans, what she desires most right now is a peaceful home where her parents can sit down together after a hard day's work.
Parents, please look at us through today's story.
Nguyen Chinh Minh Tung, a 10th-grade student at Nguyen Hien High School, has a different perspective. He believes that pressure isn't necessarily a negative thing. "I think pressure can also motivate us to try harder," Tung confidently shared.
What worries me more is the generation gap. “Sometimes it’s not that we don’t want to talk, it’s just that we’re afraid our parents won’t understand if we do.” According to Minh Tung, his parents had their own school days, but today’s students face very different pressures: studying, exams, social media, competition, and even unspoken expectations. “I hope my parents will see our studies and lives in today’s context, not just through the lens of their past experiences.”
In my opinion, what young people need to learn from adults is calmness and life experience. Conversely, what adults can offer their children is the ability to listen and understand before making hasty judgments.
Perhaps what children need most isn't for adults to talk more, but for adults to spend more time asking, "How were you today?", and then patiently listening to their answers. Because sometimes, being listened to is a way for a child to feel loved. These simple wishes also serve as a message for adults to reflect on how they are accompanying their children through their youth.
Source: https://baodanang.vn/dieu-em-mong-nhat-3343049.html
