(Minghui.org) Nearly 2,000 Falun Dafa practitioners in northern Taiwan attended the region’s annual Fa conference on August 16-18, 2013. One of the activities at the conference was a group Fa study and discussion for families with children of various ages.

These children all learned the practice of Falun Dafa from their parents. Not only have they benefited in health and mental well-being, but they have also gained a correct perspective of life from an early age. At a time when human morality is declining, these children are less likely to follow the downhill trend and lose their sense of self.

Practitioners in northern Taiwan do Falun Dafa exercises. Children of families practicing Falun Dafa.

Young Practitioner Is Compassionate and Mature

When Zheng Peiting was 3 years old, she was a poor sleeper who often cried at night. However, after listening to Dafa music, she would stop crying. Subsequently, her mother began to read or play recordings of Master Li’s lectures for her.

The mother did her best to follow Dafa's principles when teaching or interacting with her daughter. Through this constant exposure to Dafa, Peiting has become more discerning of right and wrong compared to many children her age.

Zheng Peiting with her parents.

During summer camp, Peiting met a very naughty boy who liked to kick and tease the other children. Although Peiting was bullied to the verge of tears, she resisted the urge to cry.

Peiting had not been like that when she was younger, however. She once had a fight with a friend over a toy. At the time, her grandmother reminded her gently, “We’re practitioners of Falun Dafa, so why should we fight with other people?” Peiting immediately understood that she should behave peacefully.

Peiting’s kindergarten teacher said that she is very different from the other children. Not only is she very compassionate, but she also has a mature understanding of right and wrong. For example, when she sees other children getting bullied, Peiting’s expression becomes very sad. Her primary school teacher has also noticed Peiting’s steady nature, and often invites her to speak or perform on stage.

Becoming More Patient and Less Attached to Material Possessions

One day, 6-year-old Li Yucheng returned from kindergarten with an injury. He told his mother that he had refrained from complaining to the teacher and even told the child who had caused the injury that he was fine and not to worry.

At home, his parents feel that he’s a very patient child. When adults are busy, he reads quietly in a corner. When he visits his grandmother, he helps out around the house. His grandmother said that taking care of him is “a breeze.”

Li Yucheng and his mother study Dafa's teachings in a group.

Yucheng’s mother, Xie Mengli, said that in today’s consumer society, it is not difficult to satisfy children materially, but this can cause children to become conceited and pampered.

The mother said that she sometimes gets upset with her son, but knows that she should first restrain herself, and then rationally guide him using Dafa principles. In this way, when her son grows up, he will be able to resist the temptations of today’s society and will not be misled.

For example, when Yucheng wants to buy something, his mother asks him, “Is this something that you need, or something that you want? A water bottle is only for carrying water, and as long as it is functional, it doesn’t matter if it looks good or not.”

Yucheng is often able to understand this, and as such, doesn’t buy unnecessary things simply because they look unique. In addition, Yucheng isn’t addicted to watching television programs like other children. He even tells his grandmother that he doesn’t want to watch TV and prefers to read instead.

Secondary School Student “Isn’t Able to Be Rebellious”

Mr. Zhan said that he and his wife have less worries now that their children practice Falun Dafa.

Mr. Zhan has been practicing Falun Dafa for the past 12 years. He attended the discussion session with his two daughters.

Children will inevitably have fights with their siblings and peers, said Mr. Zhan, but the major difference is that after the incident, children who practice Falun Dafa will look inside to identify their own shortcomings, instead of putting the blame on others.

Mr. Zhan’s youngest daughter Jinglian will be entering her third year in elementary school soon. Regarding situations where schoolmates are mean to her or are rough with her, she said with a smile, “I ignore them.” When asked if her teacher has praised her for doing so, she laughed and said plainly, “I’ve never told the teacher about it.”

Mengji is a student at the Fusheng Secondary School and also studies music at Taiwan’s Feitian Academy of the Arts. With regard to the video games and Korean dramas that most high school students are obsessed about, she said, “I find those hobbies a waste of time. It’s better to read instead.” During free study periods, she reads Master Li’s lectures.

When asked if she experienced a “rebellious phase” like most teenagers, she smiled and said, “I just wasn’t able to be rebellious.” Mr. Zhan explained that this was because she was exposed to Dafa from a young age.

Boy Feels Fortunate to Practice Dafa

Xu Yuan will be entering secondary school this year. He and his brother have been practicing Falun Dafa alongside their mother since he was a youngster. He often quarrels with his brother, but recalling Dafa principles after the incident helps him to resolve these conflicts.

Yuan feels very fortunate to practice Falun Dafa. With regard to the video games and the latest techno-gadgets that most children want to have, he says that one can’t bring these things along after death, so he doesn’t pursue them.

His mother, Ms. Zhang, recounted that a classmate once broke Yuan’s badminton racket and even slapped him. Yuan did not hit back. His only reaction to his classmate’s attack was to hold the classmate tightly, which cooled the classmate’s rage.

Yuan did not report the incident to his teacher; instead, it was his classmate who told his teacher about the incident. Ms. Zhang said that Yuan reacted in such a mature manner as a result of practicing Falun Dafa from a young age.

The principles of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance have been firmly rooted in the depths of his heart.

Ms. Zhang said that, unlike most parents, she doesn’t believe that the “teenage rebellious phase” is a natural part of a child’s growth. With regard to video games that involve sex and violence, she believes that children are limited in their ability to distinguish what is appropriate, and she does not allow her children to play such games.

Instead, she offers her children books about Taiwan’s and China’s history, and stories about traditional culture. She said that these form the essence of Chinese culture, and as a Chinese person, one must have an understanding of one’s own culture and history.

Staying Unaffected by Interpersonal Conflicts

Lin Xiaoting will be starting her first year at the Feitian Academy of the Arts this year. She began practicing Falun Dafa four years ago, when her younger brother fell seriously ill after he was born. Her frantic mother began searching online for information and came across the Minghui website. As a result, it was through fate that she and her brother became practitioners.

Xiaoting said that her brother is now very healthy.

Xiaoting said that practicing Falun Dafa has allowed her to be less affected by interpersonal conflicts among peers and siblings.

Once, she had a fight with her brother. Their mother said, “Let’s see who lets go of his or her attachment first.” Both she and her brother immediately stopped fighting.

In addition, Xiaoting regularly helps her mother with housework, leads her brother in studying the Fa, and helps her brother by checking his homework. This relieves much of her mother’s burden.

Calamity Turned into Blessing

Liau Yawei will be start secondary school this year. Along with her elder brother and younger sister, as well as their mother, she has practiced Falun Dafa since a young age.

Yawei feels very fortunate to practice Falun Dafa and have Master watching over her. She recalled an incident when she, her mother, and her sister were involved in a motorcycle accident. Miraculously, the motorcycle slowed down before falling over. Her sister, who was still a baby at the time, had fallen onto a soft patch of grass. She was found to have fallen on top of the book Hong Yin and was completely unhurt. This near-death experience left a deep impression on Yawei, and she is extremely grateful for Master's protection.

Yawei really likes to attend the group Fa study and discussion sessions. She feels that the environment there is different from her school environment.

At school, her schoolmates ostracize other students from time to time. She described how she had once refused to join schoolmates in ganging up on a fellow student. This resulted in those students then ostracizing her as well. At the time, she knew that she was doing the right thing, so she didn’t harbor any feelings of resentment. Her schoolmates subsequently realized that she was innocent and became friendly toward her again.

Primary School Student Glad to Practice Falun Dafa

Ye Tingyi and her family are practitioners. She has two sons: one is in secondary school, and the other is in fifth grade. As a working mother, she feels that the greatest changes that have occurred to her since practicing Falun Dafa are good health and knowing the right way to raise children.

After practicing Dafa, her children have become more calm and steady in their interactions and actions, as compared to other children. Her relatives and friends often tell her that her children are very well-behaved.

Her younger son, Zheng Yajie, said that he often doesn’t practice Forbearance well. However, through studying the Fa, he tries to correct and remind himself of the right thing to do. He feels that it is great to have a mother who practices Falun Dafa because he has come to know about the goodness of Dafa from her.

Yajie often accompanies his mother to tourist attraction sites, where he distributes truth-clarifying flyers to tourists from mainland China, many of whom have been deceived by the lies of the communist regime that defame Falun Dafa. He said, “When the mainland Chinese tourists accept the truth-clarification materials, I’m very happy, because they now have the chance to understand the truth.”