with boxing lessons then painting and
ping pong too
it's a juggling act for lilly pong to
keep her two kids busy
she had a second daughter when china
relaxed its one child policy five years
ago now the government is urging parents
to have three kids to counter an aging
population it's a good policy but for
myself i'm 40 years old already i don't
have the energy would you have a third
no no way no way two is enough china
added just 12 million babies last year
the lowest since 1979 when the one child
policy took effect repressive rules and
a desire for sons erasing millions of
girls from the population now with the
workforce shrinking they're trying to
boost the birth rate the chinese state
has already put forth
a lot of policies is the state expecting
a baby boom the baby boom is not
happening the challenge most couples
don't want two or three children because
of high living costs and competitive
pressures
like jiwa or chicken parents a new
parenting culture here known for being
obsessive like scheduling their kids
days in 15 minute increments that's a
lot of pressure on a kid the parents
they feel they don't have choice they
have to do it because everybody do it
it's given way to a multi-billion dollar
shadow school industry here where
tutoring in math english and sports
begins as early as preschool and can
cost a family half their income when you
force everybody to go through the same
system you have again
wasted talent and unnecessary
competition in the end you get
greatly anxious parents
and irrational behaviors fearing deeper
inequality and parental burnout when the
communist party wants to see larger
families the government is cracking down
forcing the entire private education
industry to go non-profit public schools
ordered to do more activities to ease
pressure on china's kids so parents will
have more of them
janice mackie freyr nbc news shanghai
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