Vicky was in primary six when her parents divorced.
From an early age, she hated school, often cutting classes to hang out with street children in a public football ground.
Her deaf-mute mother understood how crazy Vicky was about football and didn’t want to stop her.
Vicky has always been a big football fan.
One time, when Vicky was late for dinner, her mother came looking for her and was ridiculed by her playmates.
That day, Vicky decided to stay away from them. Later, she would meet someone in school who encouraged her to take football and her studies seriously.
Now Vicky is training under the auspices of the Chelsea FC Soccer School (Hong Kong).
“I want to become a coach and do my best to train more female players for Hong Kong,” she said.
Tabe, 24, is a famed video game player and commentator.
When he quit school and ran away from home, he left his mother heartbroken.
“I am now in Beijing, don’t worry about me. I am a big boy now,” he wrote to his mother.
Realizing she might have been wrong, his mother had a complete change of heart.
She no longer insisted Tabe go to college and become a high achiever in class.
She traveled to Beijing to support Tabe and watch his tournaments.
Her trust in her son paid off.
These two stories appeared on Ohmykids, a website that aims to promote a core concept — children are different from one another and have different levels of aptitude and interest in schoolwork.
When they diverge from the norm, it does not mean the end the world for them and their parents.
Ohmykids was founded by Helen and Wing.
They said if parents only want to impose their wishes and goals on their children and control all aspects of their lives, they would make growing up a very painful experience.
“We are not against mainstream education. We want to tell parents that there’s more to it than getting good grades,” Wing said.
It’s much more useful to nurture their interests and tailor their education and training accordingly.
Helen and Wing encourage parents to share their parenting style on the website — anything from choosing a baby formula or diapers to deciding which brand of stroller to buy.
They found that four in 10 Hong Kong parents own three strollers, probably because many are not sure what products are suitable and have to learn from their mistakes.
At the same time, quite a few low-income families cannot afford one.
Ohmykids helps parents dispose of baby stuff that are no longer needed by finding new owners for them and provides a platform where parents can exchange them.
Helen and Wing have joined Good Lab, an institution that promotes innovative solutions to social problems.
They attend seminars and workshops to learn more about running and sustaining Ohmykids as a social enterprise.
– Contact us at english@hkej.com
RA