Soccer Star’s Father Rejects Idea of Being a ‘Friend’ to Children
–In a recently published book, Son Woong-jung, the father of Tottenham Hotspur captain Son Heung-min, firmly rejected the notion that parents should strive to be friends with their children.
“People often say parents should be friends with their kids, but I see that as dereliction of duty,” said Son Woong-jung, who is also the director of the Son Football Academy.
He asserted that the concept of a “friend-like parent” cannot exist. “If a child habitually does something wrong that needs to be corrected, can friends really do that? No, they can’t. Friends can point things out, but only parents can definitively tell them what’s not allowed.”
Son said he raised his children with the belief that “a great parent can raise even a child destined for smallness to greatness, while a small parent can raise even a child destined for greatness to smallness.”
He maintained that “a true parent is someone who poses questions to their child.” Consequently, he consistently asked his son what made him happy and what his dreams were, to which Son Heung-min’s answer was always the same: “I’m happiest playing soccer.”
Source: http://koreabizwire.com/soccer-stars-father-rejects-idea-of-being-a-friend-to-children/278892 |
