來自世界各地的嘉賓與CGTN主持人鄒韻交流觀點
當家庭迎來新生命的時候，養育孩子的成本、如何養育孩子以及父母在家庭中養育孩子角色的分配都成了大部分家庭將要面臨的難題。新冠疫情期間，很多事情都發生了改變。例如，幼兒園和學校數週關門，何時恢復正常尚不得而知，孩子們必須在家中上課，還要有人看管。與此同時，父母需要花費更多時間、承擔更多責任來照顧孩子。為了應對突如其來的生活方式的改變，許多父親的角色也隨之而轉變。
12月10日，中央廣播電視總檯中國國際電視臺（CGTN）的“全球會客廳”網路直播節目邀請了來自中國和美國既是父親也是教育工作者的三位嘉賓，共同探討關於父親在新冠疫情中所扮演的角色這一話題，並與全球網友分享了他們在養育孩子以及與孩子建立健康親子關係方面的經驗。
Parenting, an eternal puzzle for all families, is taking up new challenges during the pandemic. For many families, virus containment measures like working from home means precious time to stay together. But as schools remain closed and teachers stay on the other side of the computer screen, parents also shoulder more responsibilities for taking care of their children. It is also a moment for many fathers to realize that they're needed to step up and play a bigger part in childcare.
In this episode of "The Chat Room," we invited three "proud fathers" and educators from China and the U.S. to discuss the father's role during the pandemic and to share their experiences of parenting and building a healthy relationship with children.
新冠疫情發生後，父親在家庭中的角色是否有所轉變？
Shifting role of father during the pandemic
在本期“全球會客廳”節目中，嘉賓們圍繞“在新冠疫情發生後，父親在家庭中的角色是否有所轉變？”這一話題展開了探討。
來自哥倫比亞大學（Columbia University）師範學院的教授大衛·萊昂納多 （David Leonard）認為，美國家庭父母的角色其實已經改變一段時間了。現如今，夫妻會在工作和養育子女之間尋求平衡點。他指出，在新冠大流行期間，學校“停擺”，紐約市有許多孩子不得不在家上學。面對在家學習的孩子，父親還需擔任起教師的角色。
對於萊昂納多的觀點，北京朝陽實驗小學的英語老師李海龍表示贊同，並認為幾十年來父親的角色一直在變化。張海龍以他自己舉例解釋道，他出生在一個“男主外，女主內”的中國傳統家庭，他的父親忙於工作，而母親則承擔起做所有家務的責任。但現如今，年輕父母都願意花更多時間陪伴自己的孩子，和孩子建立起更親密的親子關係。
康福國際教育集團董事長、總校長劉煜炎
劉煜炎是康福國際教育集團董事長、總校長，他也見證了兩代人對“父親角色”的不同詮釋。劉煜炎提到了重要的一點：父親角色對孩子的成長有著舉足輕重的作用，好的家庭教育則是父母聯盟。
During the pandemic, many things have changed. One of the major changes for some families has been the shifting role of the father.
David Leonard, a Columbia University professor, believes that the roles of mother and father have been changing for some time. Both are nowadays balancing work and parenting. He noted that many children are home-schooling during the pandemic in New York City. And fathers during the pandemic need to develop skills not only as parent, but as teachers too.
Echoing Leonard's opinion, Li Hailong, an English teacher at Beijing Chaoyang Experimental Primary School, said the father's role has been changing for decades. He comes from a traditional Chinese family, where his own father was busy with his career and his mother did all the housework. But for young parents like himself, people are building a closer relationship and spending more time with their child.
Liu Yuyan, chairman of the Camford Education Group, said he tried to be a role model for his children and take care of the family as much as he could. Though he admitted his wife still did the most work looking after the children, more changes are needed in the future.
中美育兒方式有何不同？
The differences in parenting styles in China and the U.S.?
哥倫比亞大學教授大衛·萊昂納多
當談到中美兩國育兒方式差異的問題時，萊昂納多首先想到的是兩國育兒方式的相似之處。萊昂納多表示，隨著美國和中國的不斷髮展，當代父親的思想在不斷演化，父親角色模式深刻轉變，父親更願意參與到孩子的成長中，會更願意花時間陪孩子、教育孩子。萊昂納多還補充道，在孩子面前，父親們需要放下自我、卸下大男子主義的包袱，更多地表達自己的真實情感。
如果說萊昂納多回答這個問題的關鍵詞是“參與”，那麼對於李海龍來說，他的答案的關鍵詞則是“支援”。李海龍認為，自己既不是嚴肅的父親，也不是溺愛孩子的父親，他把自己界定在兩者之間。他希望孩子可以自由發展、自我成長。李老師用他支援女兒選擇學習武術的例子，來說明只要需求合理，他會支援女兒做她想做的任何事情。
When comes to the differences of parenting between China and the U.S., the first thing that came to Leonard's mind was the similarities between both countries.
"There is an evolution. Fathers are evolving into being more involved with their children," he said, noting that fathers now also do errands for the family, like buying diapers at grocery stores.
Fathers now are in the middle of learning how to be more involved, learning how to be role models, he said, adding that fathers need to be more authentic, to unload their baggage and show more of their real emotions. After all, they are not only involved as fathers, but as men.
If Leonard's keywords in parenting are "being involved," then to Li Hailong, the keywords are "being supportive".
Neither a tiger father, nor a spoiling parent, Li defined himself "in the middle". He tried to be supportive to anything his daughter wants to do. "Anything reasonable," he said, mentioning that his daughter prefers Chinese kungfu to ballet. "OK. Let's give it a try," Li recalled saying, wishing his girl follows her interests to "grow within herself."
“父親的人生課”
Tips to be a better father
在新冠疫情期間，越來越多的父親認識到與孩子廣泛進行互動的必要性，而不僅僅是“陪伴”而已。如何成為一個更好的父親？三位嘉賓都有著自己獨特的見解。
萊昂納多稱，給孩子自由和選擇的權利只是育兒策略的一部分，父親也必須用聰明的方式來實踐。太多的選擇可能會使孩子不知所措。萊昂納多進一步解釋道，他總是給女兒三種選擇，希望她能做出更優的選擇。最後，萊昂納多建議家長不要替孩子做最終的決定，而是透過過濾各種選項，把孩子從眾多選擇中“拯救”出來。
對於如何成為一個更好的父親這一難題，劉煜炎透過講述親身經歷，強調了兩點：其一，培養孩子的獨立思考能力，讓孩子自己解決問題，而不是直接幫他們解決；其二，要教會孩子明白改變不了所處的環境，就去改變自己的道理。
北京朝陽實驗小學英語老師李海龍
作為一名年輕的父親，李海龍更重視與孩子在情緒上建立一種情感連結。他認為和孩子的交流至關重要，父親要做孩子的傾聽者，讓孩子們確信父母會一直陪伴在他們身邊。李海龍還表示，陪孩子玩遊戲、參加體育運動都是很好的建立情感的方式。當然，他還鼓勵父親們擁抱、親吻孩子，以此表達對孩子的愛和情感。
其實，做一個好父親沒有任何捷徑可走，但耐心、愛心、正確的教育理念會幫助父母和孩子共同成長。三位嘉賓的見解是他們在學習成為好父親的過程中總結而出的，你有哪些育兒小妙招呢？對於父親角色的轉換你又有哪些看法呢？歡迎鎖定“全球會客廳”節目，與中國國際電視臺（CGTN）分享你的心得。
As more fathers are recognizing the necessity of getting more involved in the family during the pandemic, many are still looking for better approaches than just "being physically there." Aren't there any small tips for fathers to improve their parenting skills?
Leonard argued that giving choices and freedom to children are just part of the strategy, fathers also have to practice it in clever ways. Too many choices can be overwhelming for children. Leonard said he always gave his daughter three choices, which were both acceptable to him and her – "It's helping. But it's in the shadow." Leonard suggested that the parent does not make the final decision, but filters the options to save their kids from "the universe of choices."
Liu highlighted the nurturing of independent thinking. Let children solve problem themselves, don't give them the answers. He told a real story about his son at a piano competition, who at first got confused about judges' preferences, but later found out the deciding element of winning the competition through personal investigation.
As a young parent, Li attaches great importance to expressing love and care to a child. Having a conversation with the kid at the end of each day is crucial in Li's philosophy, which assures kids that their parent is always available. While for elder kids playing sports and games is very often a good idea, he added. He also encouraged dads to express their love and emotions more, using big hugs and kisses to build connections.
Apparently, there is no shortcut for being a better dad. But with patience, love, and proper educational ideas, eventually, "Birds will fly".