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Children in most societies are taught and expected to be obedient and respectful. China, of course, is the same. But in China’s case, it is to an extreme. If a child is not respectful, it can cause disgrace among a family name. This disgrace can last forever among that name in future generations. Back to the point, children are expected to be extremely obedient and respectful. They are supposed to be respectful especially to their elders, including parents, grandparents, and other relatives. This establishment applies especially to girls. Aforementioned in the Family section, girls are considered to be less important. Also, since boys could carry on the family descent line and girls could not, boys were considered more valuable children. Families that could not afford additional mouths to feed sometimes killed newborn infants when it was discovered that they were female, a practice that was considered outrageous, and against which various religious and other moral societies carried out a constant propaganda war. Therefore, if a girl disrespects a family, the consequences are substantially worse…for her.
Also, the roles of children are quite different for children in differing social classes. This implies the different roles among rich children and poor children. Children of richer families are expected to become noble scholars and add to the family’s wealth, while the children of poorer families are expected to help out in the family business, which is usually farming.
When the children are all grown up and have become adults, they are expected to take care of their parents, and possibly their other elders. |
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