Raising a newborn infant can give rise to a whole slew of challenges and changes to a family. Prospective parents should consider these fully before giving birth to avoid unnecessary disputes, Director of the Against Child Abuse (Macau) Association (ACAM) Li Man Cheng said at yesterday’s TDM’s broadcast program Macau Forum.
Li found that many of these would-be parents had not expected a fundamental alteration in their everyday lives after childbirth. The ignorance of this may cause relationship problems between spouses and between parents and children. This may even extend to financial disputes.
The association had received around 50 cases of child abuse in the first half of 2021, similar to the tally during the same period last year.
Li said that some parents report that taking care of their children causes stress and anxiety and sought help to avoid any possible incidents of child abuse. The increase in parents seeking assistance from the association indicates that public awareness of safeguarding the rights of children has improved in Macau.
In both Hong Kong and Macau, there is a common saying: spouses should get a license before having a newborn. It suggests that many young parents nowadays are not mature and competent enough to raise a child.
To help prepare aspiring parents, the Social Welfare Bureau (IAS) is teaming up with the city’s six community associations to promote the Family Life Education Project, which targets newly married families and families with children aged 0 to 3, designed to help them prepare to enter a completely new stage of life.
The broadcast program was also attended by an expert in children’s emotional expression and the director of a children’s library.
The expert found some parents are experiencing stress while arranging activities for their children during the school summer holidays. She suggested that parents sign their children up for summer courses that suit their interests, and be more forgiving when children make mistakes.
The director of the children’s library emphasized that every child has the right to play, under the provision of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child.
She urged local parents to arrange adequate rest time for the children, and they should not rely too much on electric devices as tools to calm their children. A quality family time should involve more reading and outdoor activities.
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