The father turned up at his son’s school unexpectedly to criticise his marks but changed his mind on seeing his treatment of other students. While the son was cheerfully handing out sweets, his father pulled out his phone to capture the moment on video. — SCMP
A father in China who rewarded his eight-year-old son’s generosity at school instead of criticising him for his average academic performance has inspired mainland social media.
The father, surnamed Zhou, from Shandong province in eastern China, changed his mind about the punishment after he saw his son, nicknamed Qinglang, giving sweets to his classmates earlier this month, the Qilu Evening News reported.
In a video filmed by Zhou, Qinglang is seen holding a plastic bag filled with sweets with a big smile as he cheerfully hands them out to his classmates.
“Who hasn’t had one yet?” Qinglang asked his classmates in the video.
“Me,” one classmate replied.
Zhou had arrived at the school without telling his son in advance and originally planned to criticise Qinglang’s average school marks.
Zhou said he felt very proud of Qinglang’s cheerful spirit and generosity, which made him realise that raising a child with a positive attitude is more important than good academic achievements.
“He just made mistakes on exam papers, he has not committed evil deeds,” Zhou said.
“Having healthy values of life comes before anything,” he added.
The story has struck a chord with many on Chinese social media.
One person remarked: “He is sunshine. People must be very happy to be around him.”
Another person commented: “He lives in a family full of love and care.”
In April this year, the generosity of a five-year-old boy in central China who grew his hair for three years to sell and donate money to children with cancer trended online.
In March, a secondary school student in southeastern China was in the news for helping a paraplegic classmate for the past six years including carrying him to the toilet and helping him eat. – South China Morning Post
