"During my childhood, I was instilled with the belief that a successful individual must be infused with multiple capabilities. They must excel academically. They must have natural abilities at sports. Musically inclined. All of these unfulfilled dreams that parents desired to redeem through their children. Parents constantly pitted their children against their neighbor’s children. Parents felt they were building the foundations of their children’s career through the endless mesh of tuitions and extra curricular activities.

In the past, adults often questioned my ambitions and provided me suggestions for my career path. They suggested I strive to become a soldier, doctor, police, etc. As a young boy, I was emotionally susceptible to all these misguided suggestions. I felt my sole purpose in life was to make these dreams a reality and if that does not happen, I will be considered a failure in life. On top of regular classes, I had extra tuitions after school. In addition, I had music classes to compliment my stellar academic results so I could edge out other university applicants.

Examination is indicator of a child’s capacity to succeed. Children will be graded and these results will be used to apply for a good school. Examination results are in the form of standardize scores or grade. For example, grade 1-4 system: 1 is the lowest grade while 4 is the highest grade, F-A system implies fail (F) to excellence (A). In addition, these is also the ranking of students. This is an unhealthy habit where the best academic achiever will be ranked number one and the child with the worst result is ranked last. This system bluntly tells the underachiever that he will be ranked last in life. This has developed a culture of relentless competition and rivalry amongst children.

Today, competition among children is at its peak. Parents are literally, forcing their kids to obey their will. Kindergarten enrollment age is constantly dropping even before some kids can talk. Parents want their kids to have a head start in order to have any chance of studying in ivy-league schools. This is an implication of a perverse ideal of perfection. An ideal that will trap people in a vicious cycle of parent-child self projection."

- Promthum Woravut
Edited by Christiaan R. Haridas