Santa sets example for parents

A freshman at a university in Nanjing, Jiangsu province experienced an unforgettable Christmas when her father paid her a surprise visit at school dressed as Santa Claus. This heartwarming gesture should encourage more parents to express their love for their children, says an article on gmw.cn. Excerpts:

Receiving a gift from Santa Claus on Christmas may be the dream of many children, and surely no child would be unmoved if the identity of Father Christmas should turn out to be their beloved father. This subtle but pure demonstration of family love has gone beyond the formality of a family Christmas which are associated with this Western holiday and warmed many people this winter.

In China, fathers are stereotypically sedate and reserved and never express their feelings. However, like this freshman's father, they can also be warm and soft at the same time.

This freshman is also a filial daughter who remembers her parents' birthdays and buys them gifts, and she will even schedule her own plans to accommodate family activities. Such a view of the family and sense of responsibility are praiseworthy in today's social context. It is exactly such seemingly plain but sincere family love that enables people to carry on.

Everyone wants family love, but some of us unintentionally neglect to give it because we are too preoccupied by things of little importance: Parents may find it difficult to communicate with their children who they consider more selfish than they are, while young people complain their parents are old-fashioned nags. However, putting prejudiced labels on each other will not improve the situation. Parents should try and find emotional common ground and break the generation gap by looking at things from their children's perspective, while children should value every moment with parents and learn to feel grateful for what their parents have done for them.