This is a question I have been wondering for a long time, now it casts a light on it after reading this article. by Alison Gopnik Why are children so, well, so helpless? Why did I spend a recent Sunday morning putting blueberry pancake bits on my 1-year-old grandson's fork and then picking them up again off the floor? And why are toddlers most helpless when they're trying to be helpful? Augie's vigorous efforts to sweep up the pancake detritus with a much-too-large broom ('I clean!') were adorable but not exactly effective.This isn't just a caregiver's cri de coeur -- it's also an important scientific question. Human babies and young children are an evolutionary paradox. Why must big animals invest so much time and energy just keeping the little ones alive? This is especially true of our human young, helpless and needy for far longer than the young of other primates.One idea is that our distinctive long childhood helps to develop our equally distinctive intelligence. We have both a much longer childhood and a much larger brain than other primates. Restless humans have to learn about more different physical environments than stay-at-home chimps, and with our propensity for culture, we constantly create new social environments. Childhood gives us a protected time to master new physical and social tools, from a whisk broom to a winning comment, before we have to use them to survive.The usual museum diorama of our evolutionary origins features brave hunters pursuing a rearing mammoth. But a Pleistocene version of the scene in my kitchen, with ground cassava roots instead of pancakes, might be more accurate, if less exciting.Of course, many scientists are justifiably skeptical about such 'just-so stories' in evolutionary psychology. The idea that our useless babies are really useful learners is appealing, but what kind of evidence could support (or refute) it? There's still controversy, but two recent studies at least show how we might go about proving the idea empirically.One of the problems with much evolutionary psychology is that it just concentrates on humans, or sometimes on humans and chimps. To really make an evolutionary argument, you need to study a much wider variety of animals. Is it just a coincidence that we humans have both needy children and big brains? Or will we find the same evolutionary pattern in animals who are very different from us? In 2010, Vera Weisbecker of Cambridge University and a colleague found a correlation between brain size and dependence across 52 different species of marsupials, from familiar ones like kangaroos and opossums to more exotic ones like quokkas.Quokkas are about the same size as Virginia opossums, but baby quokkas nurse for three times as long, their parents invest more in each baby, and their brains are twice as big.But do animals actually use their big brains and long childhoods to learn? In 2011, Jenny Holzhaider of the University of Auckland, New Zealand, and her colleagues looked at an even more distantly related species, New Caledonian crows. These brilliant big-brained birds make sophisticated insect-digging tools from palm leaves -- and are fledglings for much longer than not-so-bright birds like chickens.At first, the baby crows are about as good at digging as my Augie is at sweeping -- they hold the leaves by the wrong end and trim them into the wrong shape. But the parents tolerate this blundering and keep the young crows full of bugs (rather than blueberries) until they eventually learn to master the leaves themselves.Studying the development of quokkas and crows is one way to go beyond just-so stories in trying to understand how we got to be human. Our useless, needy offspring may be at least one secret of our success. The unglamorous work of caregiving may give human beings the chance to figure out just how those darned brooms work.(Dr. Gopnik, a professor of psychology at the University of California, Berkeley, and the author of 'The Philosophical Baby,' will now alternate weeks in this space with Matt Ridley.)

How to praise your kids now seems a formidable task for parents today. A wave of recent research has pointed to the risks of overpraising a child. But for parents, drawing the line between too little praise and too much has become a high-pressure balancing act.Cara Greene, a mother of three children ages 1 to 8, is wary of deliberately pumping up her kids' egos, for fear of instilling the sense of entitlement she sees in young adults 'who have been told they're wonderful and they can do anything.' But she also wants them to have healthy self-esteem.'We wouldn't be doing our children any favors by overinflating their egos. At the same time, I want them to have the confidence to tackle any challenge that is placed before them,' says Ms. Greene, of New York City.Now, psychologists are creating a deeper and more nuanced understanding of self-esteem, which could make it easier for parents to walk that line. Some of the conclusions: It can actually be good for kids to have low self-esteem, at least temporarily. And praise can harm if it disregards the world outside the home. Children who have a realistic─not inflated─understanding of how they are seen by others tend to be more resilient.In the past, many parents and educators believed that high self-esteem predicted happiness and success, and that it could be instilled in kids simply by doling out trophies and praise. But researchers have since found self-esteem doesn't predict these outcomes. High self-esteem is partly the result of good performance, rather than the cause. Inflating kids' self-esteem too much can backfire, making them feel worse later on when they hit setbacks.Self-esteem serves as a gauge─a kind of inner psychological meter─of how much children feel valued and accepted by others, including family, friends and peers, based on research by Mark Leary, a professor of psychology and neuroscience at Duke University, and others. This sensitivity to others' views evolved because of humans' need for social acceptance, which in ancient times could be critical to survival, Dr. Leary says. As early as age 8, children's self-esteem tends to rise and fall in response to feedback about whether peers see them as likable or attractive, says a 2010 study in Child Development.'Children absolutely need to feel valued, accepted and loved, and this will lead to high self-esteem,' Dr. Leary says. But it can also be good for kids to feel bad about themselves temporarily, if they behave in selfish, mean or hurtful ways that might damage their ability to sustain relationships or hold a job in the future, he says. The best path is a middle road, helping children develop a positive but realistic view of themselves in relation to others.Ms. Greene's husband Jason, an actor and at-home dad, tries to teach their children what his grandfather taught him: 'Nobody is better than you, but you're not better than anybody else.' When his 8-year-old son Wyatt started goofing around at practice for his soccer team, which Mr. Greene coaches, he knew Wyatt was 'having a moment of feeling superior,' Mr. Greene says. He benched Wyatt immediately.Later, he explained: 'I know it's hard to go by the rules all the time, to stand in line and pay attention. But you're not better than the rules, and you're not more important than anyone else on the team.' His son nodded, and 'we had a hug,' Mr. Greene says. Wyatt hasn't misbehaved at practice since.The Greenes also step in with carefully targeted encouragement when their kids hit a rough patch. When Wyatt fell behind in reading at school last year, Mr. Greene says, 'his self-esteem was fragile and almost gone.' They hired a tutor and worked with him on reading. But Mr. Greene also encouraged him to redefine his own worth, saying, 'You're not measured upon rewards or grades. It's who you are that matters.' And Ms. Greene told him, 'Everyone has challenges. This happens to be yours.' Wyatt now reads well and enjoys it. But the Greenes hope he also learned a sturdier basis for self-esteem.Exaggerated praise can do harm, according to a study of 313 children ages 8 to 13 published this month in the Journal of Experimental Psychology. Parents who noticed that their children felt bad about themselves tended to pump up the praise when working with them, saying things like, 'You're so smart,' or, 'You're such a good artist,' researchers found.But those children felt ashamed when they were defeated later in a simulated computer game; other children who received more realistic praise that focused on their effort or behavior didn't feel any shame, according to the study led by researchers at Utrecht University in the Netherlands. Well-meaning adults 'may foster in children with low self-esteem the very emotional vulnerability they are trying to prevent,' the study says. A better path is to praise children for the effort they invest, an element they can control, the study says.Children who have a realistic understanding of how they are seen by others tend to be more resilient. In a 2010 study, 333 preteens played an online version of 'Survivor,' posting personal profiles and receiving peer ratings on their likability. All the kids who received low ratings experienced a drop in self-esteem, gauged via scores on a scale including such items as, 'I feel good about who I am right now.' But those who started the game with grandiose views of themselves and inflated feelings of superiority suffered the biggest declines in self-esteem, says the study in Child Development.When researchers tried to lift the grades of struggling college students by raising their self-esteem, the students' grades got worse, according to a 2007 study of 86 students published in the Journal of Social and Clinical Psychology. Showering them with messages aimed at making them feel good about themselves may have instilled 'a cavalier, defensive attitude,' causing them to study less, the study says.Laural and Jim O'Dowd's 11-year-old son Cole is getting straight As in accelerated seventh-grade math classes, even though he's only in fifth grade. 'It's hard not to say, 'That's awesome,' ' and to congratulate him on his grades, says Ms. O'Dowd, an attorney who lives in Boulder, Colo. 'But if we praise him constantly, his self-esteem becomes centered on always being very smart and being the best and being perfect. And when you get out in the real world, you're not necessarily No. 1.'Instead, she encourages behaviors he is able to sustain: 'It's awesome that you're working so hard on your homework.'The O'Dowds also invite their kids to see themselves as others might see them. Cole often has trouble waking up in the morning and tends to be cranky with his three siblings, says Mr. O'Dowd, an at-home father and former engineer. When he lingered in bed recently and snapped at his 9-year-old brother Luke for no good reason, Mr. O'Dowd asked him: 'So you want to be that person who nobody wants to talk to in the morning, because you can't be nice? Even if nobody says anything bad to you?' Mr. O'Dowd says. 'You could hear the tires screeching in his world. He stopped moving. He stopped breathing. He looked at me for a very long moment. Then he hung his head, said, 'OK,' and went about getting ready for school.''I try to teach my kids how to be considerate of other people,' he says, 'not just because it's nice, but because it makes your life better if you understand those around you.'Sue Shellenbarger

Awesome and amazing snow scenes in the morning of Beijing

By Joy Chen with Wall Street Journal At the 1997 Apple Worldwide Developer Conference, Steve Jobs was asked why he slashed a program that some in the audience had worked hard on. This is how he responded:'You've got to say No, No, No and when you say No you piss off people.'The reason, he said, is that 'Focusing is about saying No.'Well, it's the same for each of us as individuals. To accomplish anything in life, we need focus, and that requires learning to say no.'No' is the word we must use to protect ourselvesFor many of us, though, this presents a problem. Because in today's always-on, wired world, change just gets faster, and the pressure just gets more intense, for each of us to take on more. More work, more obligations, more deadlines. And so we fall into the trap of constantly saying Yes.But when we're constantly overworked and overstressed from the strain of trying to do it all, we'll never be successful in our lives. This is a problem that weighs on both men and women, but it's a special problem for many of us who are women. Because saying No seems to go against all that we've ever been taught, which is to please other people. After all, the last thing we'd want is to be called selfish! But as I look back, I see that every time I've felt lost or stuck is when I've said Yes too much to someone else - a friend, a boyfriend, a company I worked for. Once I got so stuck into the pattern of Yes that I got mired in a destructive long-term relationship.It would have saved me so much time and grief if I'd just said that one little word - No - at the start.Dr. William Ury teaches negotiations at Harvard Law School and to U.N.peacekeepers, and in his book The Power of a Positive No, he writes: 'No is the word we must use to protect ourselves and to stand up for everything and everyone that matters to us. But as we all know, the wrong No can also destroy what we most value by alienating and angering people.'That's why it's so important not simply to say no, but to learn to do so effectively. How to say 'No'The trick to saying No is be warm but firm.1. Prioritize. To say no, the first step is to be clear on what exactly are your priorities in life. The more firmly you're connected to your Yes, the easier it will be to say No.2. Be appreciative. Usually when people ask for your help, it's because they trust you and believe in your ability to help them. Being kind will show that you're not rejecting the person. 3. Be brief. I've often made the mistake of so profusely apologizing for saying No that I eventually talked my way into saying Yes! I've since learned that you never need to apologize for doing what's right for you. One sentence is enough to explain what you're saying Yes to which prevents you from fulfilling their request.4. Yes-No-Yes. Dr. Ury suggests offering a creative Yes-No-Yes solution. First, share what you're currently saying Yes to ('My mother and I always go out for breakfast on Saturday mornings'). Then say No ('So I won't be able to help you set up for your luncheon.'). Finish with a new Yes ('But I'd be happy to help clean up after it's over'). 5. Take time before responding. This is another mistake I've often made. When approached with a request, my instinctive reaction has been 'Sure, I can do that!' To avoid saying Yes under pressure, or reacting emotionally to a request, take a few hours or a day before responding. Figure out whose interests are at stake, what's really being asked of you, and whether it makes sense to say Yes.6. Be firm. Even if the other person gets angry or emotional after you've said No, don't yield. Instead, listen attentively, then calmly restate your No. Keep it simple and firm, and don't backpedal.7. Be pre-emptive. We've all had certain people in our lives who consistently make unreasonable demands. With them, act proactively by stating upfront what it is that you're focused on. If it's your boss, agree with her how you should be spending your time, and if she piles on more requests, then refer to your earlier conversation.'No' has the power to transform our livesWhen we learn to say No properly, wonderful things will happen:Our lives will have less pressure and stress. Our lives will feel more balanced because each area of our lives gives us strength rather than saps our strength.We'll become more self-confident. The act of saying No actually gives us confidence in life. Because when we take charge of our lives, we'll stop being so preoccupied with other people's opinions.We'll be more successful. We'll be more successful in all that we do because we're focused on doing fewer things and doing those well. And by addressing our own needs, we'll gain the strength we need to do more for ourselves and others. In a world full of productivity and time-management tips, the word No is the best productivity and time-management tip of all. And we can use this skill in all areas of our lives. For example, when other people give us pressure to live our lives in a way which suits them but which goes against our own values.Or when other people bully us and try to control us.We can learn to say No with grace and strength.'No' is the key to greater joy and purpose in our livesMost of us are not like Steve Jobs, who famously was accustomed to saying (or shouting) No. For most of us, saying No takes practice, and courage. After all, you may worry about jeopardizing a friendship. Or about being a bad person by letting someone down. Or you may worry about getting a reputation for being unhelpful.Worrying about all these things actually speaks well of your generosity and empathy, and those are wonderful qualities to have.But remember that by balancing your 'pleaser' and 'doer' tendencies, you'll be stronger and happier. The irony is that when we learn to say No, our relationships with other people actually will improve. When we let people know that we respect ourselves, people will respect and like us more. We teach people how to treat us.The word No puts us in charge of our lives. It infuses our lives with more joy and more purpose because it frees us to focus on the people and things that we value the most. *Can you think of something - or someone - in your life that you wish you had said No to? How would your life be different now if you had?What's the hardest thing you've ever said No to?

How to balance the tradition and environment, that's the question! But I don't think policy-makers would take the swap suggestion and notwithstanding it's hard for Chinese to get used to knife and fork since the chopsticks have been used so many years. -------- from Telegraph.co.uk It is a battle that has divided East and West for centuries: Are chopsticks superior to the knife and fork? Now the debate may finally be decided, on environmental grounds. With 1.4 billion people ploughing through 80 billion pairs of throwaway chopsticks each year, China has admitted its forests can no longer provide enough cutlery for its dinner tables. "We must change our consumption habits and encourage people to carry their own tableware," said Bo Guangxin, the chairman of Jilin Forestry Industry Group, to his fellow delegates at the National People's Congress. Pointing out that only 4,000 chopsticks can be carved from a 20-year-old tree, he even went so far as to suggest that restaurants offered metal knives and forks instead. If Mr Bo's suggestion is widely adopted, it would be a dark moment in the chopstick's 4,000-year history. It was Da Yu, the founder of the Xia dynasty, who is said to have first used two sticks to eat his food in roughly 2100 BC. It was an invention born of urgency. In his rush to reach a flood zone, Da Yu did not want to wait for his meat in his wok to cool, instead seizing a pair of twigs and wolfing down his meal. Chopsticks quickly became popular around Asia. However Chinese chopsticks are longer than their Korean and Japanese counterparts in order to reach the communal dishes in the centre of the table. Koreans also often use metal chopsticks because of their love of barbecue. The fork, meanwhile, is said to have been invented by the Romans, but did not become common in northern Europe until the 18th century. Catherine de Medici is said to have taken the fork with her from Florence to France in the 16th century, when she married Henri II, along with many of her chefs, a moment that many Italians claim as the genesis of French cuisine. Today, however, China is chopping down 20 million mature trees a year to feed its disposable chopstick habit, according to Mr Bo. Nor can China find enough wood in its own forests. China is now the world's largest importer of wood and even imports chopsticks from America, where a company in Georgia realised that the state's native gum wood would be perfectly suited to make the utensil. A previous estimate from China's state forestry administration, based on statistics from 2004 to 2009, put the yearly total at 57 billion disposable chopsticks, a much lower sum. Then again, as the comedian Jerry Seinfeld once joked, parting the Chinese from their chopsticks is no mean feat. “They’re hanging in there with the chopsticks, aren’t they? You know they’ve seen the fork. They’re staying with the sticks. “I don’t know how they missed it. Chinese farmer gets up, works in the field with a shovel all day. Shovel. Spoon. Come on. You’re not plowing 40 acres with a couple of pool cues!”

China is paying its peasants i.e. migrant workers back for what they did for this country in the past 3 decades. But the compensation is at the cost of the newly-born middle class. The solution to this question lies in the reallocation of the wealth in the upcoming years. from WSJ by Wei Gu China has the world's largest number of billionaires and 700 million peasants. In between is a surprisingly thin and unhappy middle class, which poses a big social and economic challenge.Among the 3,000 delegates of the 2013 National People's Congress, the percentage of blue-collar workers and peasants has risen to 13% from 8% in 2012. The number of migrant workers has jumped to 30 from just three last year. Wealthy Chinese continue to be well represented. China's richest man, Zong Qinhou, is attending the annual powwow for the 11th time.The squeezed middle class deserves more love. As many as 51% of Chinese working professionals suffered from some level of depression, the Ministry of Health said in 2011. They blame pressure from a rapidly changing society, increased competition, long work hours and high property prices.'The biggest risk in the world is China's middle class not being happy,' said Shaun Rein, the managing director of China Market Research, a consulting firm. 'They are the most pessimistic group in the world.' 'The truly rich can afford to live anywhere, and the poor get double-digit wage increases every year,' Mr. Rein, author of the book 'End of Cheap China,' said. 'China's middle class has hopes to own a car and home and be rich one day. But as their salary growth slows, they realize they will never be able to get there.' The Chinese government has made it a priority to help migrant workers. In 2012, 25 provinces raised minimum wages by an average of 20%, official data show. But wage increases for managers at multinationals, private and state-owned companies have slowed or stalled.At present, the great majority of the Chinese are working class, living in households with annual disposable income of between $6,000 and $16,000, just about enough to cover basic needs, according to consulting firm McKinsey & Co. The middle class, with annual disposable income of between $16,000 and $34,000, make up only 6% of the urban population. A tiny group of upper-middle-class to rich consumers, whose disposable income exceeds $34,000, comprises only 2% of the urban population.The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development defines the global middle class as those households with daily spending between $10 and $100 per person in purchasing power parity terms. The OECD reckons the U.S. has the biggest middle class in the world, with some 230 million people, or 73% of the population. It puts China's middle class at up to 10% of the population, but expects the number to rise to 40% by 2020.China has 408 billionaires, more than the 317 who live in the U.S., according to Hurun Global Rich list 2013.Although basic goods in China are still relatively cheap, it is costly to lead a middle-class life in China. A Starbucks grande latte costs $4.81 in Beijing, compared with $3.55 in San Francisco and $3.87 in Hong Kong. A locally made Volkswagen Passat sedan retails for up to $50,000 in China, versus up to $33,000 in the U.S. Goods that are made in China, including clothing and electronics, are often more expensive there than they are abroad, partly due to inefficient distribution.The middle class in China also suffers from high housing costs. Average rent jumped 9% in Beijing in January, according to the Statistics Bureau. 'If only because of rent, it is hard to save a lot of money in top-tier cities for the middle class,' said Jeff Walters, a partner at Boston Consulting.In some ways, middle-class status in China doesn't confer the same privileges as in the West. In China, basic things such as uncontaminated baby formula, clean air, top-quality schools and private hospitals are luxuries, out of reach of many members of the middle class. Usually, the middle class is the stabilizing force in a society. But China's nascent middle class, which is increasingly demanding better health and more freedom, marched on the streets of the prosperous Ningbo city in 2012 to protest a chemical project.The authorities have said they want to develop an olive-shaped society, with a fat base in the middle. The 18th Party Congress in late 2012 came up with a new plan to double average income by 2020 by changing the economic growth model and income distribution system. But they may be missing something.'The government hasn't addressed the core of the issue,' said Wang Xiaolu of the China Reform Foundation and one of China's leading academics on income distribution. 'Without reforms of the fiscal system, land policies, social welfare and the administrative system, mere income growth can't resolve China's middle class problem.'

Today's a day which is celebrated to honor the great women, like our mother, wife and so on. So I am planning to leave earlier today and make abundant of dishes for my mom and wife to thank them all they have done for the family and me. I will try to buy a bunch of flowers on the way home if there are vendors on the overpass. Happy Women's Day for you all especially those profession women in China cause they word harder than any in other places of the world.

In recent years, it was Hugo Chávez – far more than Fidel Castro – who was the international face of Latin American radicalism: the spiritual heir to Che, Perón and Castro himself. Now that Chávez is dead, will we see his like again? I suspect that the answer is probably not. Chávez himself will be hard to imitate. But there will certainly be people in Venezuela, and elsewhere, who will adopt his style. The bigger problem is that the whole Chávez model no longer looks so attractive in Latin America. The contrast with former President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva in Brazil is striking. Although Chávez was a military man and Lula was a trade-unionist, both leaders espoused radical, left-wing ideas in their early careers. The difference is that Lula was much more pragmatic in office. This does not mean that he sold out. On the contrary, like Chávez’s Venezuela, Lula’s Brazil placed a heavy emphasis on redistributive policies that favoured the poor. Lula was also happy, on occasion, to play to the gallery with some anti-imperialist rhetoric. But he was also prepared to make his peace with big business and with the United States. Brazil has become a favoured destination for foreign investors. The difference in the two countries’ fortunes is marked. Of course, any economic comparison is made difficult by the distorting effect of Venezuela’s oil wealth. But the Brazilian economy has grown strongly, until this year – without the shortages and inflatiion that marred the Chávez era in Venezuela. Politically, Brazil has also avoided the trap of the “big man” politics that has too often marred Latin American development. Lula stepped down as president; Chávez seemed determined to go on and on – until cancer struck him down. It is now clear which model is more highly regarded, both in Latin America and around the world. Chávez had allies in Bolivia and Ecuador. But there was a significant moment in Peru, one of the economic stars of the continent, when Ollanta Humala was elected president in 2011. Many on the Peruvian right feared that Humala was all set to be their version of Chávez, and cited his previous ties to the Venezuelan leader. But Humala’s people insisted that their model was Lula. One of his aides at the time told me bluntly that they had no intention of emulating Chávez, adding – “We’re not crazy.” And so it proved. The emulation effect really matters. Many Latin American countries would like to be more like Brazil. Not many see Chávez’s Venezuela as a model. [source: FT]

A useful reading for me and I will be the parent to help my son over homework after 5-6 years. Homework can be as monumental a task for parents as it is for children. So what's the best strategy to get a kid to finish it all? Where's the line between helping with an assignment and doing the assignment? And should a parent nag a procrastinating preteen to focus -- or let the child fall behind and learn a hard lesson?As schools pile on more homework as early as preschool, many parents are confused about how to assist, says a 2012 research review at Johns Hopkins University. Some 87% of parents have a positive view of helping with homework, and see it as a beneficial way to spend time with their kids, says the study, co-authored by Joyce Epstein, a research professor of sociology and education.Yet sometimes parental intervention may actually hurt student performance. During the middle-school years, such help was linked to lower academic achievement in a 2009 review of 50 studies by researchers at Duke University. Parents who apply too much pressure, explain material in different ways than teachers or intervene without being asked may undermine these students' growing desire for independence, according to the study, published in Developmental Psychology.A parent who implies that a child isn't capable of working on his or her own 'causes the kid to lose confidence, to get mad and just want the whole experience to be over,' says Lisa Jacobson, founder and chief executive of Inspirica, a New York tutoring and test-prep company. When parents help too much, 'kids say that they feel like a fraud,' undeserving of the grades they receive.Kids also need different kinds of help at different stages. In elementary school, parental rule-making about where and when homework is to be done, along with encouragement, is linked to higher achievement. But parents should give advice or help only when asked, says Harris Cooper, a professor of psychology and neuroscience at Duke University and a leading author and researcher on homework. If a child fails or becomes frustrated, parents should suggest a break.Some of the best ways for parents to help, Dr. Cooper says, include providing a quiet study place, proper supplies and resources for doing homework, and instilling positive attitudes about learning in general. A good motivator is to show kids how the skills they are practicing might be used throughout life.Shawna Mazeitis tries to keep learning fun for her own children, aged 15, 14, 12 and 6. When her 6-year-old daughter Paige struggled with a computer assignment on fractions, she burst into tears 'and didn't want to do it anymore,' says Ms. Mazeitis, of Parkville, Mo. She encouraged Paige, saying, 'I can see you're upset. Sometimes when we're upset we can't think clearly. I know you can do this. We'll come back to it a little later.'Later, Ms. Mazeitis took out a wooden pizza puzzle to refresh Paige's memory on fractions without having to type on a keyboard. Paige soon returned to the computer and finished the assignment. To keep things fun, Ms. Mazeitis also switches roles with Paige, sitting in a small chair and playing the student, while Paige stands by a chalkboard, pretending to be her teacher. By middle school, when studies show students crave more autonomy, parents can coach students on problem-solving strategies. When Lorraine Landon's 13-year-old twins Cienna and Keenan became frustrated with middle-school math homework, she told them, 'I'm not going to rescue you,' says Ms. Landon, of Pasco, Wash. Instead, she urged them to review what the teacher had said in class, consult their textbook, or make an appointment to get help from their teacherOnce high school rolls around, parental involvement is linked again to better academic performance, according to the 2008 Duke research review. That may be because parents at this stage tend to get involved only in subject areas they enjoy -- passing on their enthusiasm. A 2011 study of 12 high-school classes published in the School Community Journal found students paid more attention in science class and spent more time on homework when their parents were engaged.If parents dislike a subject, they can easily pass on that attitude too, says Bon Crowder, a Houston teacher, tutor and publisher of MathFour.com, a website on math-teaching strategies. A student may think, 'Omigosh, my mom who is 40 is freaking out about this, and I'm 14 and supposed to be doing OK with it? How can that be right? Maybe I should freak out too,' Ms. Crowder says.A better approach, researchers say, is to guide a student toward finding help elsewhere, such as video tutorial websites such as KhanAcademy.org, or to ask a tutor for help.Some homework problems spring from the assignments themselves, which can be confusing. In three studies in 2009 and 2011 by Frances Van Voorhis, a research consultant at Johns Hopkins' Center on School, Family and Community Partnerships, students who did homework structured to involve parents in a positive way said the assignments eased stress. The students posted higher test scores compared with control groups.Susan and Daniel Buckles, of Parkville, Mo., use homework to instill long-term study habits. When Ms. Buckles realized recently that her 11-year-old daughter Annie had been procrastinating for weeks on a project, she stepped in -- but only to help Annie set up a plan, breaking the remaining work into manageable pieces.Annie is grateful for the 'wake-up call.'Her parents, she says, have taught her that 'if you don't nurture and grow your study habits to be the best that you can be, you're going to fail college, you're not going to get a good job and you're going to be sad, thinking, 'Why didn't I study more when I was younger?'Sue Shellenbarger

Urbanziation seems to be the last straw for China's economy in the eye of the leading groups. With the new generation of managing team takes office, the prices of houses in China see a big jump in the wake of the urge of developing cities. Now few friends of mine still believe the administration could cramp down over the rising real estate prices, thus some of them make their final unwilling decision to jump into the boiling water and buy an apartment before it turn into the stars in the vast night sky. For me, I could understand that government now has no choice but to exert makeshifts to ease the tensions between the luxurious apartment and complaints from the public. You can't find an industry right now in China which play the same role as the equalities do. Ironically, government is also a victim if the house prices nosedive within a short term. Large amount of bad loans would follow and millions of people would lose their job, the society may turn into chaos as many fear for a long time. But could government prevent the worst scenario from happening? I doubt it. Bubble would finally burst no matter where they take place. It also applies to China. Is that possible that China could handle the tough situation and find a way out of this explicit trap? Yes, but chances are fat. We don't know when it happen and how it would take place but I, personally, believe the rule of economy cause I take it as a science among human being scope. Rationally, I know there is a inferno ahead if I come to join in the buyers of houses especially in Beijing. But in fact, sarcastically, I just rushed to buy an apartment with a large amount of loans on my shoulders. You can't resist the emotion even though there is a rational voice from your deep mind.