4 replies to this topic

[mauRICE]

So much for the jai yen myth. Where's Buddha?

There's a violent streak in many children
By Puangchompoo Prasert,
Wannapa Phetdee
The Nation
Published on February 5, 2009

http://www.nationmultimedia.com/2009/02/05...al_30095039.php

A recent survey showed that about a third of Thai children have aggressive tendencies and often take out their belligerent side on friends and animals.
Conducted by the Office of National Economic and Social Development Board, the study found that more than 30 per cent of the children aged three years and above had a violent streak.

"These children have no compassion for animals," Prof Dr Sakorn Dhanamitta said yesterday, expressing concern that these youngsters will grow up to be troublemakers. She is a senior adviser at the Mahidol University's Institute of Nutrition.

"The findings are very alarming," she said.

Sakorn said the survey reflected flaws in the emotional development of these children, which might stem from the fact that they had not been given proper love and care by their parents or caretakers during their formative years.

"Children start showing their violent side by the age of three," Sakorn said.

"Even a sevenmonthold foetus can absorb love and warmth from their parents. If parents want to instil morality in them, they need to embrace them, show them kindness and have friendly chats with them from the time it is just a foetus until it turns six. It is at this age that children absorb the idea of love and kindness, which helps them grow into wellrounded adults," she advised.

"Never think that very young children don't understand in kindness, because waiting to teach them until they are in primary school might be leaving things too late. If they don't understand love and morality right from the start, it will become impossible to change them," Sakorn added.

According to her, young children should be encouraged to play in natural surroundings.

"Children will be more attentive to lessons in natural surroundings, which will help boost their intelligence, emotional and moral quotients," Sakorn added.

She also said that toys made from natural products were much better than the more expensive plastic versions.

"It costs very little to raise children along the lines of brainbased learning [BBL]. Even late Princess Mother used these methods when raising her children, including His Majesty the King."

The Education Ministry is implementing this learning method in state schools, but implementing BBL before school is up to the parents. Sakorn believes the government should make the issue a national one, adding that Mahidol University was thinking about establishing a learning centre where parents are given proper advice on how to raise their children.

[mauRICE]

http://www.nationmultimedia.com/2009/02/05...al_30095039.php

"These children have no compassion for animals," Prof Dr Sakorn Dhanamitta said yesterday, expressing concern that these youngsters will grow up to be troublemakers.

As many a jaidii farang has discovered somewhere in between the 20th floor and the hard ground below.

[DOLLY]

A recent survey showed that about a third of Thai children have aggressive tendencies and often take out their belligerent side on friends and animals. Conducted by the Office of National Economic and Social Development Board, the study found that more than 30 per cent of the children aged three years and above had a violent streak.

I would be interested to know how that percentage compares to studies in other countries. I have always suspected that the prevalence of kick boxing and cock fighting as this society's dominant forms of entertainment among the poor makes violence seem like a natural part of life to many Thai children. There's also the way they glorify the military. I always shudder when I see the Thai kids crawling over tanks, rockets and submachine guns as part of National Children's Day celebrations.

[mauRICE]

...violence seem like a natural part of life to many Thai children. There's also the way they glorify the military. I always shudder when I see the Thai kids crawling over tanks, rockets and submachine guns as part of National Children's Day celebrations.

As they say, a picture is worth a thousand words...

http://www.baht-stop.com/forums/index.php?...azi+celebration

[Charley]

Sad to say, my experience with three different Thai families over the years I travelled here to see my bf is that there is an awful lot of physical abuse in families among adults and kids. Wife beating is common and many old grandparents are left to raise and sometimes ingore kids because their mothers and fathers are gone to the city to work.

There is a process by which violence can be taught: It begins in the family, expanding through the culture of the society and then again is either reinforced or discouraged back in the family. When an old grand parent is involved, it's usually ignored.

When parents belittle or strike each other or their children, or when children are encouraged to be strike other kids in kick boxing, violence is being taught. As noted above, when they see farm animals fighting bloody battles to the death in cock rings, that reinforces the perception that violence as a normal way of life.

Many psychologists have long believed that glorifying war and relishing physical contact in competitive sports may also reinforce violent behavior in young children as they mature. They just aren't able to distinguish between punching or kicking someone as sport and using it as an outlet for anger. It's certainly not only the Thais who may foster this kind of problem, but my sense after all these years is that Thai kids treat violence as acceptable behavior in far more situations than many other nationalities.