Chris Wang explains why he tore his daughter’s toy

Taiwanese actor-host Chris Wang caused controversy over his parenting skills when he shared on Weibo that he tore his daughter, 2 year-old Lei Lei’s toy cards after she refused to keep them.

“I tore all these in front of Lei Lei, and she was very upset. To grow, we need to first understand how to cope with sad feelings. The only ones who could bear making their children sad, it must be fathers,” the actor wrote, along with a photo showing the ripped pieces of the toy, “It’s simple. If she [Lei Lei] doesn’t keep her toys, then I will tear it in front of her.”

He also revealed that he made Lei Lei apologise to her toys while crying, and watch as he thew them into the bin.

Some netizens thought the 35-year-old father was too harsh while disciplining his young daughter, warning him that “extreme forms of discipline sometimes cause reverse consequences”.

Others supported the actor’s strict form of discipline, saying there is “no single correct method to discipline children and is subject to circumstance”.

As a children’s event that Chris was originally scheduled to attend on February 6 was cancelled by organising parties, netizens believed it to be due to the controversy.

On February 3, Chris explained the situation on Facebook.

He first thanked everyone for their concern for Lei Lei, and admitted that he was in the wrong for not explaining himself, causing netizens to worry about his daughter.

The actor shared that at that time, his wife told Lei Lei “her toys will be gone if she refused to keep them” but did not carry out what she said because she found it a waste to throw away the toys.

To demonstrate to Lei Lei that her parents will carry out what was said, he decided to tear the toys in front of her and throw them away.

He also expressed that “strict discipline is not violence or anger” and feels there is a need for him to carry out “strict discipline” on his wife’s behalf to let Lei Lei learn from her mistake, because his wife was not harsh enough to do so.

He shared that he expressed his love for Lei Lei after the incident by telling her he loves her, and revealed that the 2-year-old no longer makes the same mistake after his disciplinary actions.

Chris registered his marriage to his manager and agent, Lin Yi-xian in April 2015, two weeks after welcoming their first child together. He took a break from showbiz in 2016 to travel the world with his family, and his wife gave birth to their second child nicknamed YOLO on June 28 last year.

Photos: PBE Media

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