It is a dilemma for parents everywhere, how to keep their child occupied during a long journey, especially on public transport.
One father in China recently came up with a cheap and easy solution that went viral when a video of his daughter was posted on social media, amusing many people online.
The father from Kunming, Yunnan province in southwestern China, was travelling with his child on a high-speed train, reported the newspaper Dushi Shibao.
Concerned that his young daughter might be noisy on the train and disturb other passengers, he gave her a cabbage to peel during the journey.
In the trending video, the little girl is clearly absorbed in the task of peeling back the layers from various angles and placing the leaves on the tray table in front of her.
Sometimes she sits on her father’s lap and other times on her own seat, while the father naps or plays games on his phone.
For the duration of the journey, which transitions from day to night, she remains engaged in her task.
“The child is very lively and energetic. To prevent her from disturbing others, he brought a cabbage for her to peel. The girl was peeling for more than an hour,” the unnamed person who filmed the pair said.
The destination of the train was not specified in the report, but before leaving, the girl and her father collected the cabbage leaves and disposed of them in a small plastic bag before tidying up their area.
This creative solution to managing the behaviour of a child on public transport has resonated widely.
“If the child can peel for an hour, it shows she has strong focus. Many children would lose interest in a few minutes and start playing with something else. She might be a top student in the future,” said one online observer.
“When my child was only a year old, I gave him a big steamed bun to nibble on bit by bit on the train, keeping him occupied without needing to buy train food,” another person said.
“What a unique way to keep a child occupied. After the train ride, you can cook the cabbage,” suggested another.
“It shows there’s no child that cannot be managed, just parents who do not want to manage them,” said a fourth.
This father was not the only parent to keep his child occupied in this way during a long journey.
In June, a couple from Shenzhen did the same with their one-year-old daughter who was dressed in a princess outfit.
In another case in the southeastern province of Fujian, parents gave their child three pounds of green beans to snap during a trip.
