‘They may not get everything they want, but they get everything they need’
Print Edition
Finding the right balance between education and other endeavors for our two kids is the key for myself and my wife.
Our son Luke is nearly five years old while our daughter Emily is two-and-a-half. Luke is now in the second year at a local kindergarten, which costs 500 yuan per month, and Emily will attend the same school next September.
My wife, who is Chinese, and I think that since Shanghai is their home they need to flourish in this environment. School is a big part of that. At this point we don’t see the need to put them in additional classes as we are not convinced of the benefits.
Both of our children already speak English so there is obviously nothing to gain by enrolling them in English courses given by non-native speakers.
Perhaps in the future, our kids will struggle in a subject and require extra tutoring. We are open to that possibility and will make a decision when and if the time comes.
We also plan to move to Canada, my homeland, before they begin high school. We believe this will have numerous benefits. It will give them a chance to learn more about where their father grew up while also removing the stressful burden of preparing for China’s national college entrance exam. By that point, both will have a strong understanding of Chinese and the characters. My wife and I want our children to be fluent in both Chinese and English.
There are many roads to success in life. First and foremost, my wife and I want to find out what our children love the most and encourage them to follow their passion.
As for toys and clothing, we don’t go overboard. They have plenty of toys and we buy new clothes for them when needed. Spending varies from month to month. We do save money by shopping on Taobao as much as possible. My wife buys most of their clothes from various online shops.
If pressed for a monthly figure, I would estimate we spend an average of 4,000 yuan to 5,000 yuan each month on expenses for our children.
On Christmas Day I was proud of my son. In the evening after a fun day of playing, Luke said: “Daddy, I have lots and lots of toys.” I replied, “Yes you do. You are lucky because some children don’t have so many toys.” He looked at me and said, “Yes, I’m a lucky boy.”
I thought it was wonderful that he already has some understanding that he has enough to be happy.
The one area where we do not hesitate to spend extra money is food, especially milk and baby formula. The various food scandals over the last several years have made us wary of local dairy products.
Emily still drinks infant formula imported from New Zealand. Each can costs more than 200 yuan. Luke drinks milk that is imported from Australia, France or Germany.
My wife takes special care about their food. She does a lot of baking, making breads, biscuits, cakes and cookies. Again, we both feel safer using imported ingredients.
While our children may not get everything they want, they have everything they need.
(Marc Tessier, a copy editor at Shanghai Daily.)
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