(ECNS) -- Most children feel reluctant to show their talents or skills in front of others although their parents and grandparents keep prodding them to do so, reported Tianfu Morning News.
Many parents urge their children to give a public performance by singing a song, reciting a poem or dancing during family gatherings or at important festivals.
The newspaper based in Chengdu, capital of Southwest China's Sichuan Province, conducted a survey among 20 children randomly selected near an elementary school in Chengdu's Mengzhuiwan area.
Sixteen students said they were unwilling to cooperate when encouraged to perform for family relatives or friends of parents. Three said it's OK to show off what they are good at. Only one student was glad to stage a show.
Local resident Luo Hang (an alias) told the paper that her 7-year-old son was continually pushed to show his talent by his grandmother but he seldom complied. At her 55th birthday party, the grandmother again tried hard to have the boy sing a song and even promised to give him some gift money, but the boy still refused, said Luo.
"I still feel embarrassed to think of the drama. But the boy likes singing at home," said Luo.
Another mother, Lu Yang (alias), said she has never pushed her 3-year-old daughter to try to impress others because she remembered how awkward she felt when encouraged to perform when she herself was a child.
But since Lu's mother is looking after the child, she even applied makeup to her granddaughter to perform with others.
Lin Da, who offers psychological counseling services in Chengdu, said some children can become more extroverted thanks to the support of parents, but there are also parents who actually try to earn admiration for themselves by forcing their children to perform publicly.
She urges parents to respect the choice of children and appreciate diversity. Parents need to be very careful in using words like "don't be shy", "worthless", or "coward" to describe their children, said Lin.
