Kevin Cheng Is One Tired Parent

Actor Kevin Cheng (鄭嘉穎) married Grace Chan (陳凱琳), winner of the 2013 Miss Hong Kong pageant, in 2018. The couple quickly started a family and welcomed three sons within four years, making their household of five a lively one! Time has flown by, and their eldest son Rafael, now six, made the transition last year from kindergarten at an international school to Primary One at a traditional local primary school— the same school Kevin once attended.

Recently, while attending a public event, Cheng candidly shared that his life now largely revolves around being a “study companion,” accompanying his eldest son with schoolwork. He admitted that it has been “extremely tiring” and revealed that the family is currently considering a school transfer if things do not improve when Rafael advances to Primary Two.

Eldest Son’s Struggles with Chinese Studies

Cheng explained that because Rafael had previously attended an international kindergarten, his exposure to Chinese was minimal. Now enrolled in a traditional primary school where most subjects are taught in Chinese rather than English, the adjustment has been particularly challenging. Cheng said, “When my son was in international kindergarten, he couldn’t recognize a single Chinese character. Now, many subjects are taught in Chinese, and he has to learn and recognize so many characters—it’s really very difficult and exhausting for him.”

He gave examples, noting that even in Primary One, students are already expected to learn relatively complex characters such as “wall” and “lantern,” and are required to do dictation and memorization. Chinese and English dictations alternate weekly, leaving both parents and child feeling constantly tense and worn out. At times, Rafael has even been brought to tears by the pressure of studying.

Plans for Their Three Kids’ Schooling

Cheng said helplessly that having to accompany his son with homework every single day has completely disrupted his daily life—to the point where he worries he might not even be able to leave the house when making dinner plans with friends. Seeing his son struggle so much has been heartbreaking. “Watching him suffer through his studies really pains me,” Cheng said. “If there’s no improvement by Primary Two, we’ll seriously consider changing schools.”

Having learned from this experience, Cheng revealed that he and his wife have mapped out entirely different education plans for their second and third sons. As their second son has a personality that cannot be pushed too hard, they plan to enroll him in an international school to start Primary One this year. Their youngest son, on the other hand, will attend a traditional kindergarten first to build a solid foundation in Chinese before moving on to primary school.

Cheng emphasized that regardless of which schools his three sons eventually attend, their happiness and well-being will always be the top priority.

Source: [1]