Parents should spend more quality time with kids

It's Children's Day in Korea,... a special day of fun and excitement for kids of all ages.
With lots of Koreans working long hours, it's also an opportunity for the entire family to spend some quality time together.
Studies show that children who have more leisure time with their mother and father are generally happier and healthier.
Lee Ji-won reports.
The national holiday of Children's Day in Korea encourages family time and making kids happy. But other than such special days, are kids spending enough time with their parents?


"I help mom do her chores during the day and for about three to four hours before going to bed."


"I spend about an average of two to three hours with my mom... but my father comes home late so I don't get to spend much time with him."

According to a research by the Korea Clinical Game Play Society and Association on over 500 elementary students nationwide, 34-percent of children say they spend pratically no time with their parents, while 27-percent said they spend less than an hour everyday with their parents.
Surprisingly, only 38-percent said it's not enough time, 31-percent said it's okay, and 30-percent said it's enough.

Experts say kids must spend time with their parents if they're to develop their own charcteristics and acknowledge responsibilities in a social group. Spending time together, experts say, teaches children how to interact and cooperate with other people... but many Korean kids are not having that experience.


"Korea's family culture is too focused on academics and education. If a child is in his or her senior year, the whole family focuses on sending the child to a university... and that is the only topic brought up at dinner. And like a workplace, the parents only ask if they studied or did their homework,... checking upon their achievements. And naturally, this may lead to children avoiding conversation or spending time with their parents."

The expert said overzealous parents focus too much on education at th