Too much pampering, pressure and unreasonable expectations mean children nowadays do not get a proper childhood, says an article in the Guangming Daily. An excerpt follows:

CCTV reported recently on the experiences of Wei Yongkang, a famous whiz kid. Born in 1983, Wei knew more than 1,000 Chinese characters at the age of two. He went to high school at eight years old, went to college at 13 and was enrolled at the graduate school of the Chinese Academy of Sciences at 17. But two years later, he quit the graduate programme because he was unable to finish his research work.

Wei was made famous by his early talent and success. The schools he attended gave him extra attention; his school chums drew pride from being in the same school as him and the media kept close watch on the young man.

And after he quit the graduate programme, those who were concerned about Wei could not help but feel sad for him.

Whiz kids do have more talent than children of an equivalent age, but they are, after all, children themselves. They also need to learn from others as a necessary part of growing up.

Yet, in Wei's case, all he had was textbooks and study. He was isolated from friends, games and fun, not to mention the various experiences everybody has in childhood.

It is important for parents to keep a cool head when it comes to whiz kids. Their early success usually triggers atmospheric expectations.

What often happens is that parents ask a kid to focus only on learning and they take care of the rest. Wei's mother washed all his clothes as well as his hair. It is not difficult to predict the outcome of such mollycoddling.

And the media should give whiz kids more breathing space. Too much media coverage and attention only adds to the burden the parents and children have to carry.

The media should also try to promote scientific concepts in education, like calling for parents to pay more attention to nurturing their children's ability to get along with others.

Whiz kid Wei Yongkang is now suffering from these early mistakes. Besides wishing him a speedy recovery, we also hope that all parents love their children in a way that helps them enjoy a full life.