(ECNS) -- Most respondents to a new survey say they have been hurt as a result of their family's approach to education.
According to the online survey of 2,001 netizens jointly conducted by China Youth Daily and Wenjuan.com last week, 59.4 percent of people have been hurt by their parents' "inappropriate" education approaches, with 55.4 percent saying the worst thing their parents did was to only focus on scores and study, while 50.3 percent said "stick approaches" were the worst thing.
Meanwhile, 39.1 percent said in ideal parent-child relationships, a parent should serve as both friend and teacher, as well as set clear boundaries for the child.
Born post-1980s, Tan Yiwen has always been a "good girl" in her parents' eyes. When she was in grade two of junior middle school, she saved a stray cat and secretly kept it in an underground garage after her parents refused her request to bring it home.
Tan spent much of her spare time and pocket money on the cat. She did poorly on mid-term exams and received harsh criticism from her parents, who banned her from playing with the cat.
"It broke my heart. They deprived me of my freedom on one hand and their trust in me on the other -- they didn't think I could handle the relationship between my studies and looking after the cat."
Tan said the incident had a far-reaching impact on her. She hesitates to form intimate relationships with people and animals to this day.
