Hong Kong people are often too busy for their families, so the SHKP Club staged an 'I do it for my family' campaign to encourage people to pledge to do something nice. The competition attracted 5,000 entries from people of different backgrounds, occupations and ages from two to 76. The diversity reflects Hong Kong.
It was found that 86% of parents want better communication with their children while 37% of children want to help with the housework.
SHKP Club Deputy Manager Winnie Tse said: "Hong Kong is a fast-paced city where people have a lot of stress. It's a luxury to have time to really talk to family. The competition entries suggest that people are worried about not communicating properly; 86% of parents hoped to communicate better with their children and over 60% of married people wanted to improve communication with their spouses. Children often thought their parents nagged, 14% said they wanted to share their thoughts feelings with parents."
With Hong Kong on the go around the clock, many entrants said that they use e-mail, SMS and MSN to communicate with family, and some have to juggle their schedules to find more time.
(Diagram One: More communications with family)
The common belief is that Hong Kong children are pampered and don't help with housework, but the entries suggest that this is not always the case. Young entrants wanted to please their parents by sharing housework or spending more time with them, with 37% of children saying they want to help around the house to give parents a break from work and chat.
(Diagram Two: Children's pledges to please parents)
Many entrants said they would give up bad habits to please their families. Around 20% of them cited controlling bad temper. Both parents and children regretted losing their tempers with their families and pledged to exercise control in future. Some children said they would stop telling lies and playing computer games.
(Diagram Three: Five habits people want to change for family)
Ms Tse said: "Our competition shows that many people realize how important family is to them too late, when loved ones are ill or even dead. They regret overworking and not having spent more time with their families. People think they can spend time with their family after they become successful, but things don't always work that way. Some examples from our competition include a policeman only realized how important his wife was after she was diagnosed with cancer, a teacher who regretted not spending time with her mother when she was alive and a girl who ignored her father only to see him seriously ill in hospital."
Mothers figured in 36% of the pledges. Feelings for mother are strong among young children and then drop in the teenage years, but then get stronger in the 30s as people start to realize they should pay more attention to their ageing parents before it is too late.
(Diagram Four: Tribute to mother at different ages)
The 5,000 entries to the SHKP Club's competition show the love in Hong Kong. Ms Tse said that although every entry was different, they all shared the loving home ideal. Family harmony is an anchor in a fast-paced city like Hong Kong, and the SHKP Club is dedicated to 'Building Homes with Heart' and will continue to encourage people to build a loving society.