Con

Yan Baokun

Father of a three-year-old girl

Marriage is a serious matter. It is the most important and serious relationship that a grown-up male and female can have. And more importantly, marriage means being a responsible member of a family. While a group wedding held as a role-play exercise for children may satisfy their curiosity about marriage, it may also violate the sanctity of the ceremony. Children may get the mistaken impression that weddings and marriage are neither serious nor sacred.

Spouses are supposed to be loyal to each other. Will the kindergarten commit to teaching this value by forbidding boys from playing with other girls after they "get married?" How can we be sure that the kids won't imitate adults and be jealous of their spouses? These potential negative consequences aside, I don't see any evidence that children will learn adult gender roles from this mock wedding.

During pre-school education, children should be taught what love is and how to love. At that age, love is about friendship, not about marriage or relationships.

Con

Deng Haijian

China Women's News

I agree that sex education should be introduced during childhood. But I don't think a mock wedding has any significant relation to sex education, even if it is carefully organized and witnessed by parents. It is only an event to make adults happy. When teaching children about sex, teachers and parents should be cautious and use appropriate methods. Children at different ages are supposed to learn different things. There is no need for adults to disturb a child's cognitive development process.

Children are too young to understand affection or marriage. They interpret such concepts differently from adults. A "wedding" may lead children to be closer friends, but may also make it difficult for them to become friends with other children. And once the "couple" breaks up, the ensuing "divorce" will also leave a permanent scar on them.

Con

Zheng Yi

People's Daily

We can see that the children who were "married" in this "wedding" feel awkward about participating in such a grown-up ceremony. People should do certain things at a certain age. Early childhood education should also follow this rule. A child is like a blank sheet of paper. Any random color added by adults will have a strong impact on a child's psyche. Everyone will eventually mature, but we can never reclaim our childhood innocence once it is gone.

There are appropriate ways and occasions for parents and teachers to tell children about sex, the meaning of love and the responsibilities of marriage. A mock group wedding is definitely not one of them. Pre-school education is not a game.

Unfortunately, many parents and teachers are not aware of this. Sometimes they push children into adulthood too early by organizing a child's education from an adult point of view. Nowadays, you can often see children wearing garish makeup or bikinis on entertainment shows or at auto shows. Those children with their revealing clothing and pseudo adult image make people mourn the loss of childhood simplicity and innocence. Let children be children. Do not force adult behavior on them through education.

Pro

Ding Xiaoshan

Zynews.com

In my opinion, this mock wedding is just a game and has nothing to do with sex education.

It will not have any negative influence on the children's concept of marriage, but it will let children learn how to be a responsible spouse. Everyone is instinctively curious about love and marriage at the age of five or six. Teachers and parents should guide children's curiosity, not suppress it.

What really influences children's opinions on marriage and loyalty is parents' words and deeds. This mock ceremony has nothing to do with sex. Children are innocent. If they hug or kiss, it is a natural expression of pure love and has nothing to do with sex.