Great parenting is all about finding the right balance

Editor's note: In a society once renowned for its "tiger parenting", a shifting cultural landscape is emerging as more moms and dads embrace alternative, relaxed approaches to child rearing. The following three narratives capture this evolving dynamic and reflect a growing trend toward healthier parent-child relationships in China.

All of those who know my son say that his smile is particularly infectious and healing. Raising him for nearly seven years, I have also gained countless strengths in growing up with him, just as he said: "Mom, I am your mobile charging station."

As a mother, I accept my son as he is. A mother must have eyes to discover these traits. Instead of being anxious because of others' judgments, it is better to spend more time and energy observing and understanding my own child.

My son's piano teacher once told me that he is so great and that he should keep it up, who knows what achievements he will make? It suddenly occurred to me how brilliant his piano playing could be one day. And in that instant, it dawned on me that I was about to get caught up in this subconscious competition.

There are too many outstanding children around us in various aspects, with rich vocabularies and fluent in poetry and literature. When we only see the good displayed by others and compare, anxiety is bound to arise. Learning the piano can help us better enjoy music, it's not important to achieve a certain level of proficiency.

Really respecting my child is about respecting his choices, treating him as an individual. It is not about pretending to respect him in order to achieve a parent's goal. Parents need to genuinely respect children from the heart. Specifically speaking, I let my son make a choice first and accept it if it's within my ability, but refuse those beyond my reach. It's okay to say no.

Great parenting is not about everything going smoothly all the time. It's about disagreements, arguments and then resolutions. In this process, the relationship between us becomes stronger and more resilient. In this way, I provide my son with a sense of security, which means that an argument won't affect the relationship.