Are Vietnam parents overprotective of their 18-year-old children?

(VNF)- Whether Vietnamese parents dote overly on and give lavish care to their 18-year-old children remains a topic of discussion after the national high school graduation exam ended early this month, and students are now weighing carefully options for university entrance.

Instead of taking part in the conventionally separated high school graduation and university entrance exams like previous years, from this year on, 12th graders who are 18 years old or almost 18 if they take one or two classes ahead of their age will only sit the national high school exam.

The results of the national exam will be used for both high school graduation and university admission.

Although the exam lasted from July 1 to 4, the results just came out some days ago, and expectant examinees and their parents are now thinking hard about how to choose appropriate schools in accordance with their scores.

To sit the exam, which is considered a turning point of student life, contestants from across the country flocked to major towns and cities.

Sights of parents accompanying their children to those cities, nervously waiting for their children during the exam, driving them from home to school, watching them finish their meals as well as tending to their every personal demand were common during the exam days.

Anxious parents are waiting in the blazing sun while their children are taking the national high school exam in early July 2015. Photo: VTC.

“I feel so proud accompanying him to the city for the exam,” he said. “I once scolded a parent who let his son take the exam alone and then stayed home and felt on edge. Why didn’t he follow him to the exam?,” a father shared.

Traveling to big cities alone for the exam does not prove a student’s bravery or independence; on the contrary, it suggests inadequate care from parents.

Another parent said he thinks his own child and his peers at 18 are not mature due to their limited experience.

“Parents are still responsible for educating and orienting them,” he concluded.

Many parents also said 18-year-olds or even twenty-somethings are still physically and psychologically immature, so it’s not wise and even dangerous for them, especially young girls, to be on their own in today’s society rife with social ills.

A large number of youngsters relish their dependence on and excessive care from their parents, while others think they will mature more if left to fend for themselves and make their own decisions regarding their university majors and future jobs by the age of 18 or 20./.

by VNF