A Study on WeSupport , a WeChat-based Learning Platform
Story 2 : Migrant Parent Worker – Dad prepares for son ’ s puberty via WeSupport lessons
Ye Guofeng , now 41 , left his hometown in Sichuan Province to work at the tender age of 16 and knows about the trials and tribulations of being a pubescent , young teenager all too well : once he experienced it himself , another time he relived the struggles through his oldest son . Through experience and reflection , Guofeng has slowly come to learn how to shield his youngest son from similar struggles , and WeChat has come to play an important role in this learning process .
Guofeng ’ s sons are 21 and 11 years old respectively , with the oldest son having followed in his dad ’ s footsteps by taking up a job in the same factory . His 11-year-old has stayed behind in the hometown and is being cared for by his grandparents . As visiting his son requires a 30-hour-trainride plus an extra bus transfer , Guofeng can only visit his younger son and parents once or twice a year . WeChat , with its multiple functions in video chatting , photo sharing and friends ’ updates , has become the family ’ s chosen communication tool . Knowing that Guofeng has Wi-Fi in his dormitory at the factory , his parents also installed Wi-Fi at home so that they can video chat with him more often .
Guofeng ’ s son spent most of his childhood and teenage years without his father present , and was often found drunk or hanging out with dubious gangs when he hit puberty . Not surprisingly , his grades in school dropped dramatically during that time . Guofeng remembers worrying a lot about not being there to disciple him and getting him back on track . He also remembers the pain of feeling like an incompetent parent . He sorely regrets not paying enough attention to parenthood during that time .
But with his 11-year-old son , Guofeng sees a chance to do better . Although he ’ s still a couple of years off from puberty , Guofeng has already begun to equip himself with knowledge to help him better support and guide his son through those turning-point years . The post “ 21 Tips for Parents ” on the WeSupport platform has empowered Guofeng with his parenting decisions . “ I ’ m trying to create a household where everyone has a say . Because I ’ m not home all year round , my parents have taken over the responsibility to discipline and educate my youngest son . Due to the huge age gap and difference in communication style , the boy does not always listen to his grandparents , which used to worry me a lot . But after reading the WeChat lessons , I realized that I should encourage my son to express his own opinions ,” Guofeng says .
Whenever he sees a chance , Guofeng tries to impart his ideas onto his parents in the hope that they will allow the boy to have a greater say , especially when it comes to decisions that affect him directly . And Guofeng himself has changed the way he treats his youngest . When Guofeng went home for the Spring Festival last year he asked his son what he would like to do , rather than just impose the usual routine on him . For the first time , father and son went to see a lantern exhibition together , breaking the usual routine of always just hopping from one relative ’ s house to the other . Likewise , Guofeng asked his son what he ’ d like for Spring Festival rather than just squeeze a red envelope into his hands . After hearing his son ’ s gift wish list , Guofeng went ahead and bought him a remote control car .
In the future , Guofeng hopes to spend more time with his sons , witnessing their growth and development first hand . He will continue to work in the current factory for another two or three years until he has earned enough money and then he plans to move back to the hometown to start his own business . Despite the fact that remote communication is much more convenient these days , Guofeng still wants to be present when his younger son enters puberty , so that he can guide and accompany him through the journey and fulfil his duties as a parent .
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