Children ask for lucky money to “feed their parents”
On New Year’s Day, Ms. Pham Lan Anh (Ha Nam) got a red face when her son actively sought out one person following another to ask for lucky money. Wherever she went, her 6-year-old son also boasted that he was the “main worker” in the house.
Afraid of guests, Lan Anh bullied her children not to ask for more. The boy argued: “Why do you tell me to earn money to support my parents?”
The reason is that before that, Lan Anh and her husband joked with their children: “This New Year, Bi is the main worker, remember not to run around, follow your parents to receive lucky money.” During the year-end meal, many other adults also played with the children in the house.
Joking that the child is the “main worker” on Tet, the parents accidentally spoiled the child (Artwork: HA).
“At first, I just thought it was just a harmless joke, but I didn’t expect my child to absorb it so quickly. Seeing my child actively ask for red money from an adult, I was startled to know that I had accidentally damaged my child.
I myself am a “victim” of children asking for money to celebrate their birthday, the result of jokes that adults said at the previous year-end party,” said Lan Anh.
Lan Anh said that, besides her, no one in the family spoke out to correct the children’s attitude towards lucky money. Their grandmother just said: “Children know nothing to blame”, some adults continued to joke that, it was she who said that Bi Tet was “the main labor” but now she blames her children.
“I used to just joke with my children and everyone to change the laughter of Tet. However, many adults not only joke, they urge their children to greet their uncles and aunts to celebrate their age so that they won’t be forgotten. My daughter-in-law also scolded her 4-year-old son for being stupid when his uncle congratulated him on his age of 500,000 VND but didn’t accept it because he was busy playing. My sister-in-law said that that day the revenue was lost, “said Lan Anh.
Nguyen Van Hung (Hanoi) said, when he returned to his hometown to play on the 2nd of last year’s New Year, he was eating a family meal when a group of strange children ran in from the gate, asking adults for lucky money. In this group, he did not know any of the children, nor had he ever met their parents. After being congratulated by acquaintances, the group stood around Mr. Hung, waiting for the stranger to come back from the city to pull out the red envelopes.
There are adults who induce young people to earn lucky money (Artwork: NL).
Ask your relatives when they know what year Tet is, these children also go from house to house in the village to celebrate their age, even if they are not brothers or relatives. On New Year’s Day, adults are not convenient to refuse, nor accept children.
Going around the village until the bag is full, the children will bring money back to their parents and then run away, many people even encourage their children to do this. Someone even posted an update of their child’s “income” online several times a day on New Year’s Eve with the status line “making money is not difficult”.
“I don’t regret a few coins to celebrate the children’s age, because first of all, it is the joy of children. However, many of my relatives consider it a nuisance.
If I give a lot of lucky money, the children will be happy to come out, say hello loudly, and others will only give lucky money to the cake and candy, they will not say, not knowing that, before going to the gate, they have criticized this house for being stingy,” Hung said. know.
“Children are like a blank sheet of paper”
According to Ms. Nguyen Thi Kim Tuyen – Principal of Hai Hung Primary School (Hai Hau, Nam Dinh), parents should not consider their children as a “source of income” during Tet. This inadvertently makes children become materialistic, thinking that money is easy to earn, they develop the habit of measuring the affection of adults through the value of red packets.
Ms. Nguyen Thi Kim Tuyen – Principal of Hai Hung Primary School (Photo: NVCC).
Children look forward to getting lucky money all year round, everyone likes to have money to buy candy and toys. However, adults need to teach their children to properly understand the meaning of lucky money, appreciate money and the hearts of others.
“The lucky money itself is not bad, children are like white paper, how parents teach, children absorb it. First of all, parents themselves must understand the meaning of lucky money in order to teach their children. , do not consider children as a tool to earn money on Tet. A child who is properly taught by his parents when receiving lucky money even if it is only 10 thousand dong, that child still feels happy.
The fault of adults is not to teach their children, sometimes joking too much, causing their children to misunderstand the meaning of the custom of giving lucky money on New Year’s Day. When they’ve spoiled their children, parents should blame themselves before blaming their children for calling them a little lucky money,” Tuyen said.
Ms. Tuyen said that educating students to experience the traditional Tet is one of the activities that Hai Hung Primary School has implemented for many years. Before the Tet holiday this year, the school reminded teachers to spread to students the origin of the custom of giving lucky money at the beginning of the year, teaching them how to give and receive lucky money, and an attitude of respecting the hearts of adults.
“In it, we emphasize to the children that they are not the main “source of income” to receive lucky money on New Year’s Eve as many parents say. If any parent induces their children to ask for lucky money, the I dare you to tell your parents regarding the red envelope culture.
We also teach students that, in order to have money to celebrate their birthday, adults have to work very hard, so regardless of more or less, they have sweated and worked hard to give their heads. years for the children, that’s a precious thing,” Ms. Tuyen said.
Ms. Ninh Thi Ha – primary school teacher in Ninh Binh said that besides lucky money in cash, adults can celebrate childhood with books. Many publishers now produce their own special editions of some well-known, beautifully designed books to give as gifts.
“We can not give children lucky money with money, or give them less money instead of books. This is a spiritual gift, very meaningful knowledge, suitable for children’s ages. Giving lucky money with books helps children have a love for books, avoiding the negative aspects of the custom of giving lucky money due to the value of money.
Adults should choose books regarding history, geography and science to celebrate their children’s age, books should have hardcovers, beautiful pictures and be packed in gift boxes for children to enjoy,” Ha said.
