The suicide of the lead singer of Korean boyband SHINee brings to mind the stress and pressure faced by the younger generation, which causes them to turn to suicide and self harm (The price of K-pop perfection; Dec 20, 2017).

During the exam period, I witnessed one of my friends, stressed out by the expectations of parents and teachers, turning to self-harm after a mental breakdown.

The stress and pressure faced will only increase with time. Teachers should be trained to recognise symptoms of depression and notify the parents or counsellors.

On the other hand, parents should teach their children to be resilient.

Failure is the mother of success. It is imperative that parents let their child experience failure from a young age and teach them that failure is never permanent.

For example, when a child performs poorly in an exam, parents should acknowledge the bad grade instead of telling the child that it is acceptable.

However, they must also prevent the child from losing confidence and let him know that there is always another chance. This way, the child is motivated to score better and will feel a greater sense of achievement when he earns well-deserved praise.

Stress and pressure is inevitable. It is easier and better to teach children to cope with it at a young age.

Lim Xuan Qi, 12

Secondary 1 student

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