Searching for the meaning of parenthood: An existential approach to parent education in the Hong Kong Chinese context
This article discusses how an existential approach contributes substantially by rethinking the ideas of parent education and enriching parent and child well being. The goals and principles of this approach, namely eliciting the full spectrum of the meaning of parenthood, fostering constructive parent child and family interactions, extending parents' concerns from their own children to the welfare of future generations and addressing the issue of gender in parenting, are explicated. Parent education strategies, evaluation studies and their relevance to the Hong Kong Chinese cultural context are also taken into account. Finally, it considers some practical suggestions for promoting this approach in Hong Kong.