Hannah Leung

My Baby Burps More than your Baby..

beijingkids — Mon, 10 May 2010 17:50:00 +0800

As a proud parent, it can be tempting to compare and contrast your baby to Mr. Chen’s wee one next door. When this is sometimes helpful in figuring out what to expect and detecting problems ahead, Nicholas Day cautions parents against taking the words of “experts” and other well-meaning parents as gospel. Instead, he writes, “The typical child, it turns out, is a myth.” This is helpful advice for parents to keep at hand, be it for a newborn or feisty tween. Read more from the Slate article here.

Rewards or Bribes?

beijingkids — Mon, 10 May 2010 07:04:00 +0800

Many parents resort to desperate measures when trying to placate their screaming child, especially in public arenas. How many times have parents said, “If you behave yourself, I’ll buy you a toy!"

Beijing Emperor's Cup International Ice Hockey Tournament

beijingkids — Tue, 30 Mar 2010 08:21:13 +0800

The post Olympic ice hockey excitement has placed ice hockey on the radar. But rest assured, you don’t have to be in Canada to participate in the hockey frenzy. The Sports Beijing Imperial Guard Hockey Club will host an International Ice Hockey Tournament from April 1 to April 4. Eighteen of the best youth hockey players - local and international - will compete for the Cup. This four-day event features three age divisions, with teams hailing from Singapore, Korea, Hong Kong, Shanghai, Harbin. The hockey action will take place the Hokay Ice Rink in Gaobeidian. Admission is FREE.

Visit the website for more information, or email Philip Ho, the tournament director philipbeijing@me.com

Variations in Eastern Education

beijingkids — Thu, 25 Mar 2010 11:02:19 +0800

Finding the right school for your children is a difficult decision many parents face. Finding the right school in a foreign country – in which you may or may not speak the language – is a process that stresses out even the most resilient expat parents. Regardless of the school, comparisons between China’s education system versus your home country's system eventually arise.

The Womanizer Complex

beijingkids — Tue, 23 Mar 2010 08:00:00 +0800

First there was the Oedipus Complex, now there’s the Womanzier Complex. In a Telegraph article, Dr. Dennis Friedman makes the claim that boys who have nannies before the age of one will likely “turn into womanizers.”

Virual Reality Turns into a Grim Reality

beijingkids — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 17:22:03 +0800

In a recent article, the Guardian reveals that a South Korean couple left their daughter to starve to death while gaming online. Addicted to Internet games, the couple spent most of their time on a role-playing game called Prius Online, in which they raised a virtual daughter. After spending a reported 12 hours at a Seoul Internet café, they returned to find their newborn daughter dead. An autopsy confirmed the infant’s cause of death to be malnourishment.

iTouch for Kids

beijingkids — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 10:42:49 +0800

The Apple iTouch is a particularly entertaining and resourceful gadget. Useful apps like the Chinese-English dictionary and Beijing subway guide map make daily living easier. Its main function as an mp3 player is overshadowed by its other functions.

But when the six year old I tutor expressed disappointment after not receiving an iTouch for Chinese New Year, I was shocked. For a child so young, the iTouch is apparently on her list of must-have items.

Firework Safety During the New Year

beijingkids — Fri, 12 Feb 2010 17:00:56 +0800

On the eve of Chinese New Year and in the days to follow, expect to hear firecrackers go off well into the middle of the night. No, your fortress is not being attacked, although it certainly sounds that way. Coming from a long line of tradition, the loud bangs from firecrackers are thought to fend off evil spirits and ghosts. Although, the noise will probably be more successful at frightening the the uninitiated than warding off bad luck. If this is your first time spending Chinese New Year in China, brace yourself for a week of uneasy living.