VietNamNet Bridge - The fact that a nine-year-old Vietnamese boy went to the South Pole with his father while some others at his age never go too far from their homes, has raised a debate among parents.

Not advisable to let children go exploring?

The one who started the debate is a mother with the nickname Ngoc Linh Khue on an Internet forum:

“If I were the boy’s parent, I wouldn’t let him go to the South Pole. Think about your first trip when you were only 9-10 years old. How much do you still remember? How much knowledge did you gain?”

She also cited an example of a colleague who took his son to Singapore. Though the boy was 11 already, but when asked what were his feelings about the trip, he said that it was enjoyable and interesting, just like going to Vincom and Parkson.

“Nineteen seems to be a more appropriate age to go exploring the South Pole”, said Ngoc Linh Khue.

She emphasized that if you wanted your children to take part in social activities, you should encourage them to do charity work and help others. That will make your children become benevolent and considerate in the future.

If a boy only indulges in traveling, he will grow up to be a selfish man who cares about nothing but his desires.

Another member of the forum said: “Everyone has their own way to teach their children. As for me, I also want my children to go exploring, but the place must be safe, not too cold and far like the South Pole”.

Bringing up children in a Western style: letting children go exploring early

A mother with the nickname Coffee agreed with letting small children go exploring: “Nine is the right age to go and learn new things. In other countries, parents make their children learn necessary skills to survive when the children are still very small. In America, museums, science institutes for children, aquariums, zoos…are all frequently visitedalthough entrance tickets are quite expensive”.

Another mother said: “Trips to the South Pole are quite popular now, so using the word “explore” in this case is not appropriate”.

According to her, these trips are very expensive – about 7000USD/person.

“If you go in February, the average temperature in the South Pole is only about -6^oC to 11^oC – warm enough for children to enjoy the trip”.

Her son also went to Japan for one month when he was only 9-10 years old. And now, when he is already a young man, he still remembers that trip clearly.

“I like it!”

Many parents agree that children should be trained to get accustomed to hardships. A mother said: “When my son is ten years old, I also want my husband to take him to the South Pole, to Mongolia to explore the Himalayas, and to the Amazon rainforest as well. His grandma just smiled when she heard that, maybe she found my idea strange, but I keep telling my husband that I want my son to travel all over the world”.

She thought that although the boy was only nine, he would definitely learn a lot from the trip, including self-reliance and the eagerness to explore things. And the trip will make a deep impression on him.

Another mother cited an example of parents in Korea who let their children take part in training courses for soldiers. Each course lasts from 3 to 14 days and is very expensive. For example, a fourteen-day course costs thousands of dollars. Trainees have to do many hard exercises, like rubbing snow on naked skin or rolling in the mud.

Tu Uyen