A well-known mommy blogger in China is being slammed after leaving her 6-year-old daughter home alone while the rest of their family went to an amusement park.
Zou Yue claimed her intention was to teach her daughter a lesson about finishing homework on time.
Now, the mother of three from Guangzhou, also known as Zhou Yueyue on the Chinese social media network Weibo, is apologizing to her 1.5 million followers as well as to her daughter, and regrets being a poor example of “correct parenting ways,” according to the South China Morning Post.
“I had a frank and good conversation with Xiaomi [her daughter] afterwards,” Zou said.
Last weekend, Xiaomi was ordered to stay at home for failing to complete “study tasks” assigned by her mother, according to a since-deleted post on Weibo. Meanwhile, Zou and the rest of their family went to Chimelong Ocean Kingdom in the city of Zhuhai.
The schoolgirl was left alone from morning until midnight to finish the work along with extra assignments as further punishment. On Sunday, her father brought her to the park only after she finished the next day’s assignments, and she “had a very good time in Chimelong,” according to Zou.
“Before returning home, she told me, ‘I won’t waste time in future. I can only play after finishing my study tasks,’ ” Zou said.
Zou says she equipped her daughter for a day of independence by teaching her to boil water and make instant noodles. She also used surveillance cameras to check in on their home, and claims a domestic worker and neighbor were available in case of emergency. As part of the punishment, the stern parent told Xiaomi she’d only return if the girl became scared at night — so long as her homework was finished.
Social media followers criticized what they regarded as negligent and dangerous parenting.
“She may not remember how fun Chimelong was when she grows up, but she’ll definitely remember the fear of being abandoned at home all alone,” one Weibo user wrote, the South China Morning Post reported.
“I’m very disappointed that many mothers actually supported her. If you’re like her, you’re pushing away the person who loves you unconditionally,” said another.
