Let a Child Be a Child
the traditional culture and current situation of china been taken into account, adjustment of laws to recognize the maturity of children at an early age thus seems to be hasty and impractical.
it would be ideal if everyone in society were responsible for their own actions and words, if they were in other words in dependent individuals in law. however, children over 15 are a special group, especially in china.
the adjustments of laws may require two assumptions,first, children over 15 are already mature enough to make good decisions for their own lives. second, they have the ability to pay for their misbehavior. unfortunately, nowadays children in china fail in both aspects.
under the great care and love of the parents, the behavior of most children over 15 can never be described as premature. half a century ago, children at the age of sixteen or seventeen were already doing heavy work in factories and earning money to help support the family, while children at the same age today are still pure flowers in the greenhouse which absorb the sunshine and wait for watering. they receive monthly allowance, leave their clothes washed by parents and wait for dinner to be ready. it is because of the lack of social contact and experience that children over 15 may seem unsophisticated, and even naive sometimes.the focus of children's lives moves between the family and school. though children themselves may take it for granted that they have grown up and could act like adults, actually they are
while children's immaturity hinders the adjustment of the law, the attitudes of parents and teachers reflect that it is impractical to do so. since each family could only have one child at present, most couples pay meticulous attention to their children and always try to interfere with the decisions of the children.furthermore, teachers also have great influence on children, as well as their behavior. to some extent, it would be unfair to punish a child's misbehavior against law, neglecting the child'signorance and immaturity, and ignoring the adults' influence.for children over 15 still cannot be regarded as independent individuals in law.
it is obvious that children over 15 in china are dependent on their parents and liable to take others' opinions. so it's not the right time to allow them to do things which go beyond their ability. just let a child be a child.
