HLM -Chapter 1375 Hosting the Parent–Teacher Meeting

At nine o’clock, class began. Wang Bo had Eva straighten his clothes for him, then he walked into the classroom.

Inside sat a crowd of parents and children. Some parents had both mother and father present, with a little kid sandwiched between them. Others had only one parent attending—but it was always one of the parents; there were no grandparents, aunts, or uncles in sight.

Wang Bo strode quickly up to the podium and said, “All present—stand up!”

The parents stood up in confusion. When the children saw their parents rise, they stood up as well.

Wang Bo smiled slightly. “Sorry, I thought this was a meeting with the town police, so I instinctively called for everyone to stand. Actually, there’s no need—please sit down.”

Light laughter rippled through the room. The parents sat back down, and with that joke as an opener, the atmosphere immediately relaxed.

Wang Bo introduced himself to everyone, while Eva began writing on the blackboard.

After the introductions had gone around among the parents, Wang Bo nodded and said, “Very good. Now that we know each other, let’s officially begin. This course is jointly organized by the police and the school, and every parent must cooperate.”

The parents nodded one after another. “Mayor, we understand. We’ll cooperate.”

“Mm. Then who brought paper and a pen? Since you’re cooperating with this class, you should at least be recording what I’m teaching, right?” Wang Bo asked with a smile.

A wave of awkwardness swept through the parents. Some women rummaged through their bags and managed to find pens; others couldn’t find any and simply pulled out eyeliner or lipstick instead…

Wang Bo waved his hand, smiling. “Just kidding. No need to be so serious. All right, everyone, look at the blackboard—I’m going to start asking questions.”

He picked a Brazilian immigrant family and said, “Mr. Inácio, I’d like to ask you a few questions. I hope you’ll answer honestly.”

A half-bald man nodded. “All right, Mayor.”

“Call me Officer, please.”

“Okay, Officer.”

Wang Bo laughed. “You’re a very polite citizen—that’s great. You’re setting a good example for your daughter. Here’s my question: do you usually make decisions for your child?”

Inácio thought for a moment and said, “Some decisions. For example, I don’t interfere with her choice of friends, but she’s picky about food, so I make some decisions for her there.”

The little girl beside him pouted.

Wang Bo noticed and said, “Sir, I’m afraid your daughter doesn’t agree with you.”

Inácio laughed awkwardly. “Uh, kids’ ideas are always a bit strange. That’s just how it is.”

Wang Bo said, “Sir, from what you’ve said, I already have my answer. Let me ask another question: have you ever shaken your child forcefully?”

Inácio thought again. “It seems… I have.”

“It’s not ‘seems,’ it’s ‘you have,’” his daughter said angrily.

Wang Bo continued, “Have you ever said that your child is too lazy, not hardworking enough, or disobedient?”

Inácio said helplessly, “I’ve said those things. But I think all parents have, haven’t they? Isn’t criticizing children supposed to help them improve?”

Wang Bo said, “You’re right—but those behaviors already constitute child abuse.”

“What?!” Inácio looked shocked. Many new immigrants were equally stunned, while the New Zealanders remained perfectly calm.

New Zealand has very strict regulations on child abuse. Back in 2007, it even introduced an anti-corporal-punishment law, stipulating that parents may not physically punish their children under any circumstances.

Wang Bo produced the law and said, “What you’re doing all falls under corporal punishment of children. In fact, it’s illegal.”

The kids immediately got excited.

“There’s a law like that?!” the little girl shouted.

Ron said, “I didn’t even know!”

Leola yelled, “My sister hit me just last night—arrest her!”

Little Si said, “My dad never hits me, but he’s glared at me before. I think that counts as corporal punishment too.”

The children excitedly began exposing their parents’ dark histories. Wang Bo found it highly entertaining from the podium. Below, the parents were covered in black question marks, and several Māori parents were already rolling up their sleeves, ready to start swinging.

Wang Bo slapped the desk. “Quiet, quiet. Parents, stay calm. If you’re going to hit your kids, do it tonight when you get home—not now. We’re in a public place; everyone should show some restraint.”

At that, a child shouted, “Officer, that’s breaking the law! You can’t do that—you can’t allow my parents to hit me!”

Wang Bo shrugged. “Bratty kids have to be disciplined. And disciplining bratty kids—besides verbal criticism and education—sometimes requires the appropriate use of force.”

Now it was the parents’ turn to be happy. Dr. Stockton nodded. “Children absolutely need to be controlled. Back in 2008, I even participated in the anti–anti-corporal-punishment movement. That law is incorrect.”

At the time, all of New Zealand was resisting that law. Even child protection organizations believed it was wrong. Within one week, New Zealand collected 310,000 signatures demanding that Parliament repeal it.

Dr. Stockton’s words drew widespread agreement from the parents. Almost everyone was nodding. Most people believed that when children repeatedly refuse to change despite instruction, moderate corporal punishment is acceptable.

The children looked utterly despairing.

Little Si muttered, “If I’d known, I wouldn’t have jumped out just now.”

Dale was even more dejected. “The nail that sticks out gets hammered first. I just learned this truth—why didn’t I remember it?”

Seeing the situation getting out of hand, Eva said, “You can’t keep teaching like this. Get it under control and follow the outline I gave you.”

Wang Bo tapped the desk again and said, “Quiet, quiet. As a police officer, I require everyone to obey the law. As a guardian, I hope everyone can educate children with flexibility.”

“However, don’t go to extremes. Based on my own experience raising children, the period before the age of five is crucial for shaping a child’s worldview and outlook on life. During this time, they are extremely sensitive.”

“At this stage, you need to make children feel happy. You need to tell them that they are unique in the world, help them build a sense of self, and learn to respect themselves.”

“Moreover, you must teach children how to face harm—what to do when they encounter it, and how to seek help—so that they can ultimately build a healthy and effective self-defense system.”

Eva supplemented his talk from the side, mainly introducing practical examples in education—especially using many examples involving the little girl.

At school, Dale looked domineering, but in reality, she just had too much energy and loved to make a fuss. In fact, she was the most popular among her classmates, because she never bullied the weak, never picked fights for no reason, and was always generous and open-minded.

As a result, the parents listened very attentively to Eva.

And so, by the end, it basically turned into Eva’s class. Wang Bo smiled bitterly—he had guessed from the beginning that this would be the outcome.