If We Could Have More Than Two Children



If We Could Have More Than Two Children

The fact is that China is the most populous in the world, so the One-Child Policy may not have been such a surprise. The One-Child Policy was implemented by the Chinese government in 1979. The purpose of the policy is to control the fast growing of population. In addition, it restricts couples to have no more than one child, except for the rural couples or parents who are both only children in this family. In other words, if the mother and father have no siblings, they can have two children. At the same time, my grandfather had a tradition of son preference because he believed that sons in rural families were more helpful for farm work. However, my parents had two daughters, and the two kids were the maximum they could have at that time. Thus, my grandfather told my parents to move somewhere where people did not know them in order to have a son, and they listened. Consequently, the One-Child Policy had three profound effects on my family.

The first effect of the One-Child Policy was that my grandparents were fearful for a long time. After my parents moved, my grandparents were very busy every day. They had a lot of work to do. They not only needed to do the housework and work on the farm, but also they to take care of my sisters. In addition, the One-Child Policy made my grandparents very anxious and concerned about my parents. Meanwhile, people who worked in the government were chasing my parents because they were in violation of the policy. Therefore, my grandparents not only worried about my mother and her marriage to my father, but they also could be arrested by the government.

Consequently, my parents did not have a stable life. My parents could not live in the same place for a long time. When they had the third child, it meant they were in violation of the One-Child Policy, so the government officials were trying to arrest them. If the government had arrested them, they would force my mother to abort. Thus, my parents were very scared, and they had to move frequently before the government found them. In addition, they did not have stable income. Because my mother was pregnant, she could not have a job. Finding a job also was difficult for my father during this time since he lived in various strange places, and they moved frequently. Even though my father had a job, he did not earn much. Moreover, my father could not work in the companies that required identification because it was easy to be found by the government.

Furthermore, the One-Child Policy brought my third sister an unhappy childhood. My sister has been separated from my family since she was born. She was raised by my aunt, and she is still living in China. When my sister was born, my parents asked my aunt to take care of her because my family could not have another kid at home, especially a girl. As a result, she did not have real family love. Even worse, some kids in the same neighborhood always laughed at my sister. In her village, many people knew she was adopted by my aunt. They said that my sister did not have parents, and she was an orphan. My sister was very lonely and sad because no one was willing to play with her. Therefore, my sister still resents my parents because they sent her to my aunt, and this always makes my family upset.

It is obvious to see how the One-child policy has affected my family. If the One-Child Policy had never appeared, my grandparents would not have needed to have such a hard life. My parents would not have had to move frequently. My third sister would not have left my family, and she would not hate my parents today. Every time we talk about this, my parents feel so guilty for my sister, and now they are doing their best to make up the lost years. On the other hand, if we could have more than two children, children will not feel lonely in the process of growing up. The policy still exists because the Chinese population is still growing rapidly. It will continue to affect the Chinese economy and put pressure on environment.