Wong's Tips

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Parenting

Honest essays from the trenches of Hong Kong parenting. No judgement, no perfect answers — just real talk about raising kids in this city.

94 articles·8 authors

Setting Up an Effective Homework Routine

Create a homework system that reduces battles and builds independence.

Ms. Chan28 March 2026 · 3 min

Confessions of a Reformed Tiger Mum (I Spent HK$3,000 on Practice Books Last Year)

One Hong Kong parent's honest account of homework obsession, comparison anxiety, and what actually helped her children learn.

Let me tell you about the Tuesday night I cried in the bathroom because my P3 son couldn't do long division....

Tiger Ma

A Letter to Hong Kong Parents (From Someone Who Watched You for 12 Years)

A direct, personal letter to Hong Kong parents from someone who spent 12 years watching them from the other side of the table. What she wishes she could have said. What she's saying now.

Dear Hong Kong Parent,...

Ms. Poon

When Your Child Says 'Everyone Else Gets Better Marks'

What to say (and not say) when your child has internalised comparison culture. Practical scripts for Hong Kong parents.

It happened on a Wednesday, in the car, on the way home from school. My daughter — P4, the one who usually seems fine — stared out the window and said, very quietly: "Mummy, everyone else gets better ...

Tiger Ma

The Expats Left. International Schools Are Now Mostly Local Families. Here's What Changed.

Miss Yang15 Dec

7 min

Christmas Holiday Homework: To Do It Early or Spread It Out?

Tiger Ma8 Dec

5 min

The Report Card Night: A Survival Guide for the Whole Family

Tiger Ma19 Nov

5 min

The Government Just Warned a Tutoring Company for False Advertising. What HK Parents Should Actually Know.

Mr. Ng15 Nov

7 min

We Spent HK$286,000 on International School Last Year. Was It Worth It?

Tiger Ma15 Nov

7 min

My Kid's Best Friend Goes to 7 Tutorial Centres (Should I Worry?)

Tiger Ma1 Nov

5 min

I Took My Daughter's Phone Away for 30 Days. Here's What Actually Happened.

Tiger Ma15 Oct

6 min

My Daughter Told Me She Didn't Want to Be Here Anymore. This Is What Happened Next.

Tiger Ma15 Oct

8 min

The Tutoring Industry Is HK$7 Billion a Year. Here's What It's Hiding.

Ms. Poon15 Oct

7 min

I Let My Kids Skip Homework for a Week (Here's What Happened)

Tiger Ma13 Oct

5 min

I've Spent HK$480,000 on Tutoring. Here's the Honest Audit.

Tiger Ma1 Oct

6 min

I Know Three Parents Who Paid to Have Their Child's Project Built. I Said Nothing.

Tiger Ma15 Sept

7 min

The K1 admissions anxiety spiral — and what it does to your child

Wong's Tips

Parenting

Setting Up an Effective Homework Routine

Confessions of a Reformed Tiger Mum (I Spent HK$3,000 on Practice Books Last Year)

A Letter to Hong Kong Parents (From Someone Who Watched You for 12 Years)

When Your Child Says 'Everyone Else Gets Better Marks'

I Stopped Comparing My Kids to Each Other (It Took 6 Months)

How to Talk to Your Child About Mental Health Without Making It Worse

The Grandparent Factor: When Ah Ma Does Homework Differently

The Expats Left. International Schools Are Now Mostly Local Families. Here's What Changed.

Christmas Holiday Homework: To Do It Early or Spread It Out?

The Report Card Night: A Survival Guide for the Whole Family

The Government Just Warned a Tutoring Company for False Advertising. What HK Parents Should Actually Know.

We Spent HK$286,000 on International School Last Year. Was It Worth It?

My Kid's Best Friend Goes to 7 Tutorial Centres (Should I Worry?)

I Took My Daughter's Phone Away for 30 Days. Here's What Actually Happened.

My Daughter Told Me She Didn't Want to Be Here Anymore. This Is What Happened Next.

The Tutoring Industry Is HK$7 Billion a Year. Here's What It's Hiding.

I Let My Kids Skip Homework for a Week (Here's What Happened)

I've Spent HK$480,000 on Tutoring. Here's the Honest Audit.

I Know Three Parents Who Paid to Have Their Child's Project Built. I Said Nothing.

The K1 admissions anxiety spiral — and what it does to your child

IB vs DSE: the decision that has Hong Kong parents in camps (I've been in both)

When academic pressure shows up as stomach aches: the physical signs we ignored

I still read aloud to my secondary school child. She pretends to hate it. She doesn't.

Helicopter vs free-range parenting: where I've landed after 9 years of trying both

When You Care More Than Your Child Does

Applying for private school scholarships in Hong Kong: what we learned the hard way

When Should You Actually Consider Changing Your Child's Teacher or School?

Mainland, Taiwan, Hong Kong: How Each Place Teaches Chinese Identity Differently

The class WhatsApp group is ruining my parenting: a confession

We've been going to tutorial centres for 3 years. Honest review: is it working?

What Actually Happened After the Great School

Gap Year After DSE: The Hong Kong Stigma, the Reality, and When It's the Right Choice

What's actually changed in Hong Kong education in 2025 (from a parent who's paying attention)

Respect for Teachers and Authority: The Mainland Approach, the International Approach, and Where I've Landed

The hardest parenting skill: letting go of control over your child's academic life

Decoding Your Child's Report Card: What Teachers Actually Mean

Every January I set academic expectations for my kids. This year I tried something different.

Gaokao vs IB vs DSE: A Cross-System Comparison for Families Weighing Options

The male teacher shortage in HK primary schools: does it matter? My complicated answer.

Your Child's Chinese Name: Using It to Build Cultural Identity

My child wants to be a YouTuber. My reaction went through 5 stages.

The University Conversation: When to Have It, How to Have It, and What Not to Say

Is spending HK$100,000 a year on my child's education a good investment? I ran the numbers.

My son lost 18 months of learning during COVID. We're still catching up.

The Homework Environment: What 15 Years of Visiting Families Has Taught Me

Raising a Culturally Confident Chinese Child in a Western-Curriculum School

You Don't Speak English Well. Can You Still Raise a Strong English Reader?

Choosing subjects in S1: the conversation we wish someone had with us

P6 secondary school application: the things no one tells you at the parent evening

What to say when your child brings home a bad exam result (hint: not what I used to say)

How Parents Choose Schools (And Why They're Usually Doing It Wrong)

When Parents Undermine Teachers in Front of Their Children

My kid started using ChatGPT for homework and I didn't know whether to be proud or horrified

Kindergarten Readiness in Hong Kong: What It Actually Means vs. What Schools Test For

When Your Teenager Says They Hate School: What I Think It Usually Means

Single parent homework help: making it work when you're doing it all alone

Grandparents and homework: the war I eventually stopped fighting

The Child Who Can Do Everything (And the Look in Her Eyes)

Screen time rules: the 8 things we tried before finding what actually sticks

Confucian Education Values in Modern Hong Kong: What's Worth Keeping

15 Things Primary School Teachers Wish Parents Knew

My son refused to go to tutorial centre and I think he was right

Going Back to Work at 10 Weeks: The HK Maternity Leave Problem Nobody Talks About

Stop comparing your kids to their cousins: a memo I wrote to myself (and my in-laws)

Parents Who Do Too Much in Secondary School: What It Looks Like From a Teacher's Desk

Summer camp or more studying? The choice that shows what you really believe about education

A Taxonomy of Over-Involved Parents (From Someone Who Met Thousands of Them)

How to Talk to Your Child's English Teacher: Getting the Most From Every Interaction

The nightly homework battle: how we stopped fighting and started working (mostly)

How to Evaluate a School's Chinese Language Programme

Our helper was doing my son's homework for 3 months before I found out

Stop Asking 'How Was School?' — Better Questions That Actually Work

The Band 1 school obsession: why I finally stopped caring and what I care about instead

How to Actually Talk to Your Secondary School Child About School

We spend HK$12,000 a month on my children's education. Is it worth it?

The year I stopped being a tiger mum: what happened to my kids' grades (it's not what you expect)

Comparison Is the Unofficial Sport of Hong Kong Parenting

Mainland vs Hong Kong Education Philosophy: What Each Does Brilliantly and Where Each Fails