Trophies over tears -- the high price children pay for adults’ ambitionsListen to this articleKids race in a balance bike competition in Bangkok early this year. At its core lies a troubling question: when victory becomes the goal, what happens to a child's right to be a child? In that moment, society was left to wonder whether a child’s tears are considered less valuable than an object called a trophy. Once the child outgrows the toddler stage, there is no professional league or future career for balance bikes. Cultivating a child's potential is not wrong, but parents should realise that a child’s readiness and happiness must come before trophies.

Source: Bangkok Post December 23, 2025 20:06 UTC