Being overprotective is not an easy thing to avoid once you have children, but China's parents can deny their kids important life lessons if they are too overprotective. That is the message from an entrepreneur and mother who has set up an obstacle course in Beijing's Olympic Forest Park.
Kids love to race, but when it s through an obstacle course, it is all the more exhilarating.
Rather than being thrown around in powerful rides, kids have to find their own way through the thrills and possible spills.
The industry for children's entertainment has been booming in China, with various outdoor amusement parks mushrooming across the country. The huge market has not only attracted some of the world's most popular resort companies for children, like Disneyland and Universal Studios, but also encouraged innovation to help create better childhoods.
The example of foreign kids routinely getting down in the mud has both shocked and inspired Chinese parents and teachers. They have started to realize their kids are more robust than they thought, and that a gentle introduction to danger can be helpful.
"My daughter spent half a year at a British kindergarten when she was four. One thing upset me. All of her class were encouraged to play in the rain one day, and she was the only one that got sick," said Xu Ying, founder of Moncy Club.
"That day, I started to wonder whether she had been over-protected before and therefore hadn't developed as strong an immune system. I think kids in China are all facing similar situations. Parents are giving them too much attention and protection, like I did before. So I built this obstacle course for more children to climb, jump, take risks, and be wild."
Seven-year-old Chen Ranze comes with his classmates for his first try on the rope walk. He says he is not the bravest in his class, but this time he chose to go first.
"I found it interesting when I first got on there, but as I got half way, I felt it was quite dangerous, and my heart was beating fast. I'm so proud of myself now as I finished the whole track," said Chen.
Chen's mom was even more nervous, like many parents here. But she still believes experiencing small risks is better protection for kids in the long run.
"My son doesn't have much access to such activities, because the school is not able to spare enough time and space for this. I think this kind of outdoor obstacle course is quite good for kids to develop their sense of team cooperation and determination to resolve problems themselves. I really hope schools can get better involved in such activities," said Pei Qiuxia, Chen Ranze's mother.
Pei says she will give her son more freedom to explore as she realizes he got much more excited when he accomplished something he had never tried before.
