Many Hongkongers say they emigrate to the UK for the sake of their next generation, thinking that once they arrive in the UK, everything will be smooth.
Little did they expect it to backfire.
A parent who moved to the UK with their family of three four years ago recently posted online, saying that their 13-year-old daughter is facing emotional issues—unhappy, refuses to go to school, and even treats her parents like enemies, creating tremendous family stress. "The road ahead seems long and bumpy."
The parent, who emigrated to the UK, posted on Threads, saying that their daughter was very happy when she first started primary school in the UK. However, after entering adolescence at age 13, she suddenly began refusing to go to school.
"I don't know why she doesn't want to go to school this year. She said no one is bullying her. At first, she said it was a friend's problem, and she hasn't encountered any difficulties in her studies. Later, she said the friend problem was resolved, but she has no motivation and is unhappy, so she doesn't go to school."
The parent said their daughter is in low spirits, "She is often in a low mood and loses interest in many things. She can't get up every morning to go to school, and for a long time, she only goes to afternoon art class or interest classes two or three days a week."
"After school, she hangs out with classmates on the street or in the park for an hour or two before coming home. The happiest part of her day is coming back and using her phone to play Roblox and watch TikTok. Anyway, at night, she hides in her room playing games and talking on the phone with classmates or listening to music. She stays up until 2 or 3 am every night, and then can't get up the next morning... Every day is just a repeat of the same cycle!"
The parent has tried both gentle and firm approaches to discipline, but often finds themselves in a dilemma, feeling like no matter what they do, it's wrong.
"Now she says we make her unhappy and even treats us like enemies. She basically doesn't want to communicate with us. Just a few words with us and she gets easily emotional. She also says we make her not want to go to school and tells us to think about why. In short, whatever we do is wrong."
They said that now their daughter only takes the initiative to speak when she needs to use Wi-Fi, use the computer, or go out to withdraw money. "She doesn't need to ask us for the computer and Wi-Fi, but we want to set a rule on what time to cut off. When the time comes and we cut it off, she says we are controlling her, and that's why she's unhappy and won't go to school."
The parent also noted that the school offers limited help. "The school staff can't really help her much. We've already contacted the GP, called 111, and are waiting for CAMHS to intervene. We're also on the waiting list for an ADHD assessment. The only thing is that Early Help and the school's SEN staff are following up. We don't know what to do next, so we'll just have to take it one step at a time."
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