Summary of Key Points
This article reveals a common phenomenon in family spending: adults are becoming increasingly frugal with their own expenses (saving on clothes, phones, and dining), yet they are willing to spend heavily on their children's education (such as sports classes, camps, and extracurricular activities). The underlying logic is that educational spending is imbued with a sense of "moral responsibility," as parents use it to cope with the uncertainties of the future. After the implementation of policies like "Double Reduction" (which aimed to reduce academic pressure on children), anxiety has shifted towards quality education, and educational institutions are taking advantage of this by capitalizing on parental concerns. Many families view education as the solution to all their problems, overlooking the educational value that can be derived from everyday family life.
1. Why is Educational Spending "Special"? — Adults Spare Themselves, but Don't Dare to Cut Back on Their Children's Classes?
The biggest difference between educational spending and regular consumption is that it has been moralized. For example:
- If you buy one less piece of clothing, people might say you're "rational"; however, if your child skips a class, you might feel guilty—“Am I not being responsible enough for my child?”
- According to data from the National Bureau of Statistics, per capita spending on clothing increased by 2.8% in 2024, while spending on education, culture, and entertainment increased by 9.8%. This shows that families are prioritizing their children's education over their own needs.
Educational institutions understand this well; they don't just sell courses, but the feeling of "I've done my best" that parents want to have. Their marketing tactics often use phrases like "Don't miss this critical period" or "Other children are already learning," turning the decision-making process into a test of whether you are a good parent. Even if parents know the course might not be useful, they fear regretting it in the future, which changes the focus from "is it worth it?" to "should I buy it?"
2. Does Buying Classes Equal Buying "No Regrets"? Parents Fear Not Losing Money, but Regret in Ten Years
The impact of education is different from that of eating or buying clothes: you can immediately tell if a meal was delicious or whether a piece of clothing is worth wearing multiple times. However, it might take years to determine whether a child's extracurricular class is beneficial. For example, if your child improves in English after attending classes, you might think the investment was worthwhile; if not, the institution might say, "Not attending could have led to worse results."
This uncertainty makes parents willing to pay for the option of "no regrets"—even if the classes are ineffective, at least they can say they didn't stand by idly. As the article mentions, the most expensive part of educational spending is not the courses themselves, but the pressure on parents to feel like they must not fail or miss out.
3. The "Double Reduction" Policies Didn't Alleviate Anxiety; They Just Changed the Field of Battle: Quality Education Has Become the New Front
After the "Double Reduction" policies, academic tutoring was regulated, but anxiety didn't disappear; it simply shifted towards quality education. For example, parents now worry about their children's physical fitness, artistic skills, public speaking abilities, and exposure to different experiences.
However, the commercialization of quality education has led to more stress for families, as the outcomes of these classes are often unclear. While academic tutoring provides clear feedback through exams, quality education offers less tangible results. Parents may feel they have made a investment even if there's no visible improvement. This has created a situation where "comprehensive development" is equated with enrolling in multiple classes, leaving them with increasingly vague criteria for what constitutes a good education.
4. Educational Institutions Are More Than Just Classrooms; They Are Also "Anxiety Management Companies"
Modern educational institutions focus on managing parental anxiety rather than teaching children. They emphasize that their children are in a critical period before a class, send photos of the children during class, and claim they have made progress after class, urging parents to renew their subscriptions.
They break down the process of growth into tangible elements (classes twice a week, feedback once a month, performances once a semester) to create an illusion of progress. Parents buy these services not only for the courses but also for the sense of order and feedback they provide. When these extracurricular activities become highly profitable, they become a "black hole" that absorbs parental anxiety.
5. Don't Treat Education as the Only Solution: Children Need More Than Just Classes; They Need a Relaxed Home
Many families rely on education to solve all their problems, enrolling their children in various classes for lack of confidence, attention, or interest in sports. However, these issues may not necessarily require financial investment:
- Lack of confidence can be addressed through more communication and encouragement;
- Restlessness can be improved with more outdoor activities;
- A lack of exposure to the world can be overcome by real-life experiences.
More importantly, when parents sacrifice their own time and leisure for classes, it creates a stressful environment at home. Children may feel pressured by their parents' dedication, which can be overwhelming. True education involves showing them how parents handle life—how they rest, manage stress, and love themselves. These lessons are more fundamental than any extracurricular program.
In Conclusion
Parents' willingness to spend on their children's education is driven by both love and anxiety. However, we shouldn't let educational spending dominate family life. Spend the money that's necessary, but be brave enough to stop spending on things that aren't. What children really need are resources and a relaxed home environment. After all, the purpose of education is to prepare them for the real world, not to live in a constant state of anxiety about failing.