It should have been a moving scene when the first batch of stranded Hong Kong students arrived home from the snowbound London Heathrow Airport last week and raced out into the loving arms of their parents in tears of joy as if they were some lucky survivors from a holocaust reuniting with their beloved. But one cannot help but frown upon these spoiled youngsters. The first thing they did was nothing but whining and complaining about the poor treatment they received at the Heathrow and the messy management of airlines companies.

What caused eyebrows to raise was their parents joining in their chorus to complain of the lack of care of the airlines and the government. It was an exhibition of over-protective parents and their over-pampered children. The infamous "Hong Kong kid phenomenon" came to the fore.

I am just dumbfounded by the parents' over-indulgence. What is wrong with the kids and their doting parents these days?

A closer look into their so-called ordeal will make one wonder if it was their princess and little prince syndrome or the miserable conditions at the Heathrow that made them really suffer. Because of fierce snowstorms that paralyzed the Heathrow Airport, hundreds of Hong Kong students who were to come home for Christmas were stuck there for five days among thousands of others. Some of them were transferred to a nearby hotel function room by Cathay Pacific while others either slept in the airport in bitter cold or were left to their own devices. At their anxious parents' urgings, the SAR government also acted promptly to tell its trade representative's office in London to render immediate assistance to the stranded students who were provided with pocket money, food, necessities and medical care in the function room.

However, the greenhouse flowerets were quick to flex their Hong Kong-kid muscle. Some blamed the airlines' poor management for the dreadful conditions they were in. Other described their hotels as a concentration camp and the airport a war zone. Some even concocted stories of their fathers' death in their desperate attempt to board first flight to head home. I don't know how their parents would react if they knew how "clever" their children were. I also bet that if the youngsters had ever experienced the actual life of a concentration camp, they would be grateful for the affluent and carefree life and the little ordeal they have today.

What is more, as if it were going to be a terrorist attack or Heathrow would really turn into a war zone, their worried parents requested the SAR government to dispatch charter flights to bring their children home. Even our Under secretary for Security Lai Tung-kwok entertained the idea, saying the government would consider this option if necessary.

It is natural for parents to be anxious about their children. But didn't they go overboard with their concerns about their children's well-being? In a snow-struck situation like this and with only one runway operating, the problem was not a lack of flights but a shortage of runways for flights to touch down. Besides, the Heathrow was only hit by a snowstorm, not a terrorist attack. The students were not stranded on a deserted island. No lives were at stake nor was it a life-threatening emergency. The parents should know that when public money is involved, there should be a valid reason to justify the special arrangement.

In fact, their mindset and mentality explain the prevalent Hong Kong-kid phenomenon in this affluent city, where a growing number of children are too pampered and vulnerable to adverse situations. This strange phenomenon was well explained by a July survey which showed that over 50 percent of parents with children aged between five and 16, said their children cannot brush their teeth, take shower and eat independently compared with 70 percent whose children cannot carry their schoolbags on their own. There were also cases of teens not knowing how to tie their shoelaces. Experts attributed their "symptoms" to their over-reliance on their parents or servants on self-care and problem-solving, resulting in their outrageously poor basic life skills.

To seek a cure, Hong Kong students, as well as their doting parents, should take this experience as a valuable lesson in life. This is something that cannot be learned in school and books. Parents should teach their children not to take everything for granted and should appreciate the fact that life is not always a bed of roses but a series of ups and downs. One's fortune is as fickle and unpredictable as England's weather. They should learn how to solve problems, overcome setbacks and turn adversity into advantage. Only through a transformation in their mindset could they live a fulfilling and meaningful life in the future.

It is high time Hong Kong's children and their doting parents grew up.

The author is a current affairs commentator.

(HK Edition 12/30/2010 page2)