The recent pandemic has without a doubt affected our relationships with friends and family members. For those parents looking to connect with their teens or adult children on a deeper level; or for those youth who want to have a better relationship with their parents, we at Presence and RE:NEW hope to provide resources that will help families take the time to understand one another’s perspectives.

Our last blog article talked about how Yanzie, a typical good American-Born Chinese girl, dealt with parents’ expectations, identity issues as an ABC, together with all the other challenges in her high school years. In this issue, Yanzie shares about the changes she experienced in her college years, the transformation of her relationship with her parents, and how faith carried her through growing pains and difficulties. With understanding and acceptance, she believes there can always be warmth and harmony within the family.

In the eyes of Chinese parents, the so-called perfect child is believed to have no more than a few characteristics: outstanding academic performance, helpful with house chores, active school participation, gets along with peers, respectful and courteous to elders, responsible, and caring for family members. Though Chinese parents work hard to raise their children to be sensible and good, have you ever thought about how they think about their identity, their relationship with parents, and the various challenges they face in school?

People in different eras have had very different life goals and pursuits. Technology and innovation has created a totally new world for our generation. The lifestyle, thinking patterns, goals and ideals of today’s youth are in no comparison with ours twenty to thirty years ago. Dr. Agnes Ip has shared with us about the don’ts when communicating with our youth, from which we can grasp the secrets of building relationships with the next generation.