Given these reasons, it is understandable that today's parents insist on accompanying their children to universities. It is a natural decision.

What merits our attention is the attitude of the children. They do not necessarily all hope to be escorted by their parents. According to a survey conducted by the Beijing News last week, 35.2 percent of the students polled said they did not want their parents' company.

Such parental companionship is not undesirable, given the safety concerns. But it is more important that parents teach their children the correct values about happiness and hardship.

To that effect, a father in the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region set a good example recently.

The man urged his son, who had passed this year's national examination to enter a university in Beijing, to go to the capital by bike. The father and son rode 24 days to cover 3,500 km to arrive at the Beijing Union University on Saturday. The grueling journey was a test of willpower and physical endurance.

A girl from Xi'an, capital of Shaanxi province, also chose the tough way. Accompanied by her father, the newly enrolled student of the Beijing Forestry University rode a bicycle for 14 days, covering a distance of 1,200 km, to become the university's first person to realize "zero carbon emissions during the journey from home to school" - a goal the school set for its new students. The girl said the journey also prompted her to join the school's volunteer team to promote the concept of a low-carbon lifestyle.

Such a way of registering with new universities is unique and meaningful. The two students did not relinquish their parents' company but turned their journey into a way to toughen their willpower and develop character.

Hopefully, more parents will also come to realize the importance of their children's first stride toward university.

The author is Assistant Editor-in-Chief of China Daily. He can be reached at liushinan@chinadaily.com.cn.

(China Daily 09/01/2010 page8)