Small families may produce `imperial kids'

Small families may produce `imperial kids'

JAKARTA (JP): The success in the campaign for people to have
small families has a major potential downside which parents must
watch out for -- the tendency to raise "super brats" or what a
senior Health Ministry official calls "imperial kids".

Dr. Leimena, the Director General for Community Health
Supervision, said there is a tendency for parents of small
families to go all out to meet and satisfy their children's
needs.

The phenomenon already existed in developed countries, where
parents of one, two or three tend to spoil their children.

"The family planning program in Indonesia is a big success and
we can now easily find families with a small number of
children ... But we hope the tendency towards such a spoiling
phenomenon will not happen here," he said, as quoted by the
Antara news agency.

Leimena said that although such an attitude was actually a
sign of parental affection, having an only child -- or a small
number of children -- to care for and a limited amount of time to
spend with them, would easily cause parents to overindulge their
children's every needs, he said.

He warned that such spoiled children would become
"uncontrollably naughty".

Leimena pointed out that the best way to avoid children from
becoming "little tyrants" was to learn to firmly say "no" to
their negative or unhealthy demands.

"By directing their demands to other things, the parents can
compensate the disappointment they have caused," he said, adding
that this would also teach discipline to the children.

In line with Leimena, Chairman of the Indonesian Children
Welfare Foundation Mrs. Umar Wirahadikusumah said discipline and
strictness should become the culture of Indonesian children.

She pointed out that many parents give bad examples to their
children, such as tailing after a child while it is eating and
being spoon fed. (pwn)