Are Thai Kids Well Behaved?

[maxme]

Personally, I have found Italian kids to be the worst-behaved (don tin-foil helmet) .

What about Italian adults?

Sent from iPhone; please forgive any typos or violations of forum rules

No comment...

That bad ey?

[Beetlejuice]

What about Italian adults?

Only if they make you an offer you can`t refuse.

Edited August 15, 2012 by Beetlejuice

[funcat]

I live here for a few years now,before mostly part time,but now a full time and unfortunately the longer I live here,my opinion about Thai children worsens...we do have a few in our house,so I can tell.They were quite good before they went to school...now I can see the difference,specially in discipline...firstly,the school teachers pretend to be the most important in the (whole)world,the parents come second...but children learn behavior from other children and that's the biggest problem...no matter how much I will try to tell them about proper behavior,after coming back from school it's all forgotten...and it is like this every day!!...for a moment I though that we've had some dam kids,but they are good in scores,so it's must be the other thing...

About the general behavior,Thai kids are mostly shy,so they appear to be better at the beginning,but after they get accustom to you,they will show you the real thing...As some of you mention already,Thai kids are allowed to do whatever they want and no adult will pay attention until...something bad happens,than they will react...if something small-with laughter...when something big-with panic....

In general,kids here are probably better than in some western countries,but it is hard for me to compare,since I've never had my own kids before and the cultural differences are very strong...one thing for sure,they act like kids and ...never want to grow up

[theblether]

Hmmm........a cunning method of imposing child discipline overherebc.

I'm impressed.

Google you tube Lesson in Egypt and you tube Lesson in Brasil.. You'll get the picture.

PS You do start some good ones. Lots of time on your hands ?

Right now I'm running two shops single handed......I'm running about the place like a blue ars*d fly and I'm loving it.

[roamer]

Oh please spare me, thai children are some of the most undisciplined children I know of, the parents are children just like them, they have no parenting skills and have never been taught any. Most are taken to grandma and dumped off for most of their lives with no education or moral support. Again bs answers from people that dont live here.

Well off and on I've spent more than 24 years living in LOS, including several years as a child myself. You might disagree with some posts but to accuse everyone who has a contrary view to your own of bs posts and not living there strikes me as somewhat presumptuous and ill mannered. Err what was the subject again ?

I think you have just revealed the reason for your mis-thinking.

You have been in Thailand for 24 years ..... go back to your home country, see how they behave there NOW ...... then come back and apologize to Thai children.

I really hope your not a physicist as you show a rather alarming inability to understand my post. I said I had spent more than 24 years living in LOS off and on not that I had lived there for 24 years, I'm not there now. However, can you explain to me why I have to apologise to the Thai children that I have just defended ?

Think your getting your neutrons all mixed up

Edited August 15, 2012 by roamer

[mackes]

Does Thai kids behave in a western manner? No, because the are raised in another culture with other values!

Apart from that most of the Thai kids show respect and that's what it's all about, isn't it?

I find this statement a bit odd. How do you know they show respect if you don't know how they are raised or taught in school? Is the concept of western mannerism an alien one...?

Not at all, in fact many of the middle class educated locals have adapted western manners if they don't have a Chinese heritage.

The poo yai concept is not a way of showing respect really but more of control and it's failing.

Respect is not about following cultural rules and norms, it's about accepting another humans point of view.

[Beetlejuice]

Hey brit1984

My wife and daughter says; they want to adopt that adorable baby, or if you ever decide to have him adopted, please will you give them the first option?

My daughter has sent copies of the photo to some of her cousins in the States.

Thanks for putting the photo up, really nice to see.

Anyway, can`t remember where we were. Was we agreeing or disagreeing in our last posts?

Edited August 15, 2012 by Beetlejuice

[David48]

My two (half-Thai) kids have been as good as gold today, as always!

Sent from iPhone; please forgive any typos or violations of forum rules

Mate, have you considered posting the photos here?

Another Thread on this Forum

[brit1984]

...and once you have a couple of them they even take care of each other

Sent from iPhone; please forgive any typos or violations of forum rules

Edited August 16, 2012 by brit1984

[bina]

kids seem to be a combination of parental upbringing, cultural absorbtion, and genetic propensity and personality... my three israeli kibbutz kids are all well brought up, but certainly not by my influence on things like politeness, rather by demanding, and showing, respect for others ... they were raised like many kibbutz kids, running loose, but in groups , where group is often more improtant than individual... but here spoiled bratness tends to boomerang on kids (in the army)... however, city kids!! make me barf... but then, they learn from their parents and follow the patterns (do as i do, and not as i say is actually how children learn.).

in thailand, among the poorer villagers, i found the young children polite to the point of submissivness but lacking the ability to cope in situations (little girl crying contstantly when granny broke arm and wasnt able to sleep with child or help her or cuddle her due to pain etc. the girl seemed traumatized, and the other adults made no motions to help explain or calm down the child, just pushed her off ... this is one example however i witnessed many similar examples.

i think its true: thai village parenting is more 'instinctive mothering' : the kids get fed, washed taken care of and smacked if behaving in a way that doesnt fit the house, but the children arent actually taught to behave, or taught to cope, or thinkthru actions and reactions... they are just sort of 'raised', not parented. the parents themselves werent parented that way.

i see similar things among the generation of kibbutzniks that were raised in children's houses. they didnt really know how to parent a child, although most (like my ex) do read journals, listen to advice, and change. most of the people on this board come from western societies that were functional father/mother children famiies....

holding doors open etc is not innate politeness, but artificial western standards of politeness. there has to be a differentiation between innate behaviors (gentleness, helpfullness, submissiveness, individualism) and learned behaviors that are demanded by a culture.

i was in the states recently and found many of my sis's kids age group almost too polite and reserved. kind of goody goody two shoes style compared to my kids same age groups here who tend to be group mavericks. sis's kids were all thank you and please, but were afraid to kind of go and break out of the confines of rules/regulations/ ....

here no one holds doors open, kids are the center of attention , although gradually turning in to little dictators, different than five or ten years ago. (i see it all, i work front desk at a family hotel... )

had a bunch of leuk kreung kids at my house the other day, very israeli style /thai father israeli mother... but very nice, rambunction, but not nasty.... basic good kids

bina

israel

[David006]

kids seem to be a combination of parental upbringing, cultural absorbtion, and genetic propensity and personality... my three israeli kibbutz kids are all well brought up, but certainly not by my influence on things like politeness, rather by demanding, and showing, respect for others ... they were raised like many kibbutz kids, running loose, but in groups , where group is often more improtant than individual... but here spoiled bratness tends to boomerang on kids (in the army)... however, city kids!! make me barf... but then, they learn from their parents and follow the patterns (do as i do, and not as i say is actually how children learn.).

in thailand, among the poorer villagers, i found the young children polite to the point of submissivness but lacking the ability to cope in situations (little girl crying contstantly when granny broke arm and wasnt able to sleep with child or help her or cuddle her due to pain etc. the girl seemed traumatized, and the other adults made no motions to help explain or calm down the child, just pushed her off ... this is one example however i witnessed many similar examples.

i think its true: thai village parenting is more 'instinctive mothering' : the kids get fed, washed taken care of and smacked if behaving in a way that doesnt fit the house, but the children arent actually taught to behave, or taught to cope, or thinkthru actions and reactions... they are just sort of 'raised', not parented. the parents themselves werent parented that way.

i see similar things among the generation of kibbutzniks that were raised in children's houses. they didnt really know how to parent a child, although most (like my ex) do read journals, listen to advice, and change. most of the people on this board come from western societies that were functional father/mother children famiies....

holding doors open etc is not innate politeness, but artificial western standards of politeness. there has to be a differentiation between innate behaviors (gentleness, helpfullness, submissiveness, individualism) and learned behaviors that are demanded by a culture.

i was in the states recently and found many of my sis's kids age group almost too polite and reserved. kind of goody goody two shoes style compared to my kids same age groups here who tend to be group mavericks. sis's kids were all thank you and please, but were afraid to kind of go and break out of the confines of rules/regulations/ ....

here no one holds doors open, kids are the center of attention , although gradually turning in to little dictators, different than five or ten years ago. (i see it all, i work front desk at a family hotel... )

had a bunch of leuk kreung kids at my house the other day, very israeli style /thai father israeli mother... but very nice, rambunction, but not nasty.... basic good kids

bina

israel

interesting take Bina....not sure why you single out western standards of politeness as artificial though...surely this applies to all behaviour that is not innate. Did you mean somewhat phoney or insincere as in "how are you today?"

Although Dr Spock philosophy certainly influenced ( positively or negatively?) child rearing in the US, I don't believe there is parenting 101 ....all kids are so different. As you say it's about total environment. What worked for Mum does not necessarily work for offspring..

Are Thai kids well behaved..don't know but from what I have seen in the rural environment they are very well behaved and polite.... prior to the pubescent surly,apathetic,lazy,gimmi period that is... lol

[woody087]

My wifes 6 or 7 nieces and nephews are the most polite well behaved kids I have ever met.they do their chores before and after school without any complaining never backchat and are generally lovely kids.my wife does rule with an iron fist though and I do think they are generally scared of all 42kg of her.my 2 and 1 yo girls are another story.

Sent from my HTC Legend

[SICHONSTEVE]

My wife and I are private kindergarten owners and I can vouch that all of our kids are angels (pretty much without exception, which makes our job's a lot easier).

Something that is very apparent is the utter respect for the teachers - they are almost like gods to the children and teaching is so highly regarded by the parents it's not true. Whatever they say goes (without any complaints or tantrums), they simply do what the teacher tells them to do.

I cannot say what they turn into after they ascend to the next stage up the education ladder, but I imagine that they become a lot more difficult to manage as they approach, and then reach their teenage years!!!

Basically, whilst they are young they are no problem whatsoever and after this they may change into 'the devil' for all I know - as external influences will inevitably dictate their future behavioural patterns and determine the nature of the course that their lives ultimately take.

[HerbalEd]

i found thai kids similar like mexican & brazilian kids.. when they reach teen age. they start to take drugs, have sex, shoot each to death

Yeah ... North American and European kids never do that.

[HerbalEd]

You want to see a vivid, real-life answer to your question?

Go to a social gathering where there are Thai kids and farang kids. The difference can be stark. Of course, there's a few exceptions, but the farang kids are too often very loud, unruly and disruptive, and disrespectful of their parents and other adults ..... and the Thai kids are almost all very well mannered.

Sure, some Thai kids get to playing, running about, and noisy ... but all it takes is a terse (usually non verbal) stare from mom and they immediately chill.

At a small party I attended, there was an American super brat that was disrupting the entire party with loud shrieks, running around the room bumping into adults and furniture, etc., etc. And when the embarrassed parents futilely tried to calm the child she just said "NO!!" and ran away. Meanwhile my American host's Thai daughter (his wife's before they married) was playing, while well mannered, and seemed puzzled by the American kid's boisterousness and disrespect.

When the party cleared and things were quiet, the American host (a friend who's lived here for 25-plus years) calmly asked the brat: "Why did you act like that? Why don't you mind your parents?" The kid said: "I don't know." And then she asked him: "Why does your daughter act so nice all the time?" .... And when my friend answered: "Because she loves me and she respects me." The little girl looked at him with a puzzled and then contemplative look and said: "Huuum."

Again, there are exceptions on both sides, but the above story pretty much says it all.

Edited August 19, 2012 by HerbalEd

[HerbalEd]

You want to see a vivid, real-life answer to your question?

Go to a social gathering where there are Thai kids and farang kids. The difference can be stark. Of course, there's a few exceptions, but the farang kids are too often very loud, unruly and disruptive, and disrespectful of their parents and other adults ..... and the Thai kids are almost all very well mannered.

Sure, some Thai kids get to playing, running about, and noisy ... but all it takes is a terse (usually non verbal) stare from mom and they immediately chill.

At a small party I attended, there was an American super brat that was disrupting the entire party with loud shrieks, running around the room bumping into adults and furniture, etc., etc. And when the embarrassed parents futilely tried to calm the child she just said "NO!!" and ran away. Meanwhile my American host's Thai daughter (his wife's before they married) was playing, while being well mannered, and seemed puzzled by the American kid's boisterousness and disrespect.

When the party cleared and things were quiet, the American host (a friend who's lived here for 25-plus years) calmly asked the brat: "Why did you act like that? Why don't you mind your parents?" The kid said: "I don't know." And then she asked him: "Why does your daughter act so nice all the time?" And when my friend answered: "Because she loves me and she respects me," the little girl looked at him with a puzzled, and then contemplative look and said: "Huuum."

Again, there are exceptions on both sides, but the above story pretty much says it all.

Edited August 19, 2012 by HerbalEd

[NoshowJones]

I suppose it all depends on their 'brung-up-ness'.

However I feel that in comparison to UK, especially in restaurants, I have experienced more little brats being allowed to run around the place creating noise and havok while the parents seem to totally ignore them. A couple of times I have managed to time it right as they pass the table I stand up to go to the toilet and somehow they manage to trip over my foot. I make a good show of saying sorry to the parents and it seems to do the trick. They are either kept at the table or they piss about well away from mine.

Good one Overherebc.

[NoshowJones]

Oh please spare me, thai children are some of the most undisciplined children I know of, the parents are children just like them, they have no parenting skills and have never been taught any. Most are taken to grandma and dumped off for most of their lives with no education or moral support. Again bs answers from people that dont live here.

I wholeheartedly concur - terribly undisciplined children here, parents adopt too much of the Mai pen rai attitude, they laugh when a kid breaks something or pokes a dog in the eye, i guess you can only expect the cycle to continue.!!

Either the sum of your time living here is in months or you are talking about the kids you meet when taking mother back home in Nakhon Nowhere from her bar.

Thai kids are 100 times better behaved in general than British or American ones.

A lot of Thai kids are spoiled, just like in other countries, sometimes because of these adult idiots who give up their seats to school kids and younger on buses and the skytrain. I mentioned kids here, not elderly folk etc.

[krisb]

Generally I think they are. Ive never seen kids (girls) courtsey when they say "korp kun ka" until I went to Thailand.

BTW Blether I take it thats your lil man in your avatar pic? How cutes that! cant wait for my mrs to pop ours out, not long now

[krisb]

Oh please spare me, thai children are some of the most undisciplined children I know of, the parents are children just like them, they have no parenting skills and have never been taught any. Most are taken to grandma and dumped off for most of their lives with no education or moral support. Again bs answers from people that dont live here.

I wholeheartedly concur - terribly undisciplined children here, parents adopt too much of the Mai pen rai attitude, they laugh when a kid breaks something or pokes a dog in the eye, i guess you can only expect the cycle to continue.!!

Either the sum of your time living here is in months or you are talking about the kids you meet when taking mother back home in Nakhon Nowhere from her bar.

Thai kids are 100 times better behaved in general than British or American ones.

A lot of Thai kids are spoiled, just like in other countries, sometimes because of these adult idiots who give up their seats to school kids and younger on buses and the skytrain. I mentioned kids here, not elderly folk etc.

Pfff, my mrs gets the bus to work here in Australia. shes heavily obviously pregnant and the school kids dont stand and offer her the seat. Whats wrong with kids these days?

[theblether]

Generally I think they are. Ive never seen kids (girls) courtsey when they say "korp kun ka" until I went to Thailand.

BTW Blether I take it thats your lil man in your avatar pic? How cutes that! cant wait for my mrs to pop ours out, not long now

Do you mind......that's me!!!