Actress Han Ga-in directly clarified the "overzealous mom" controversy amid criticism stemming from the "Daechi mom" video.
On the 26th, Han Ga-in appeared as a guest on tvN's "You Quiz on the Block" and revealed her child-rearing policy.
Han Ga-in married actor Yeon Jung-hoon in 2005, welcoming their first daughter, Jae-i, in 2016 and their son, Jae-woo, in 2019. Han Ga-in shared her experience of miscarriage, saying, "It felt overwhelming at first, but it was okay. I had a baby right after we decided to have one. It was too easy. I thought I was going to be a mom, and I was happy, but around April, when the baby was about 8 weeks old, it didn't go well. I realized that such things could happen."
He noted, "Then in winter of the same year, I got pregnant again. Fortunately, the timing was similar, but it ended up happening for the same reason. Experiencing this three times in one year was truly devastating. At that time, my husband and I were extremely distressed. I told my husband that I didn’t think I could give birth to a child anymore. He said, 'I can be happy with our life together, even without a child.' We decided to stay positive and try one last time with in vitro fertilization, and thankfully, our first child came out well. I can't express how grateful I am. I want to give them everything and I hope only blessings await them in the future. Someday they will have to leave me, so I want to teach them many things in preparation for that time."
Yoo Jae-suk asked, "Your daughter Jae-i is 9 years old, and your son Jae-woo is 6 years old. You must be busy with parenting now. What is your daily life like, Han Ga-in?" She replied, "Unless I'm filming, my life is completely as a mother. The eldest is currently in school, while the youngest is not. He is a preschooler, and one day he told me he wanted to quit preschool. I asked him why, and he said he wanted to play alone and spend more time with me, indicating he needed more time. So I said that it was fine to quit, and now we are practicing close parenting together 24/7."
Han Ga-in continued, "I promised that from March, he would start going to preschool. However, while driving recently, I told him, 'Jae-woo, weren’t you happy not going to preschool with mom for 5 months? I was so happy.' He replied, 'I was happy. But I need more time,' and he began to cry. He said he didn't think he could go next month, so I'm not sure if he will be able to go as promised."
Yoo Jae-suk expressed admiration, saying, "It’s not easy to make such decisions, saying he won’t go to preschool." Han Ga-in explained, "Honestly, it's enough for me to have a little difficulty. I took care of both kids by not sending them to preschool. I was worried that I couldn't spend enough time with the second child, so I made an effort to play fully with him."
Especially, Han Ga-in noted, "What I want to say today is that due to my image, mothers think I push my children to study excessively, but that is absolutely not true."
Coincidentally, Han Ga-in faced criticism ahead of the broadcast of "You Quiz" due to the "overzealous mom" label. Comedian Lee Soo-ji posted a video impersonating a "Daechi mom" named Lee So-dam, raising a 4-year-old child in Gangnam's Daechi-dong. Some netizens left derogatory comments directed at "Daechi moms" after watching the video. The problem escalated as the haters turned to Han Ga-in's YouTube video where she had documented her children’s riding activities last October, leading to mocking comments like "overzealous mom." Ultimately, after the hurtful comments began affecting her children, Han Ga-in decided to permanently unlist the video.
In the meantime, Han Ga-in drew attention by clarifying that she is absolutely not an "overzealous mom" forcing her children to study. He recounted, "The funny thing is that my eldest always expresses interest in the academy she wants to attend. I tell her, 'You have to commit to at least three months.' This is because I'm afraid she will quit soon. One day, she came to me and said, 'Mom, I really can’t attend the academy.' It was only two months since she started. I asked her, 'It hasn't been long, has it?' She replied, 'I don’t think I can. The teacher doesn’t give me time to think.'"
She continued, "Since we made a promise, I said, 'Let's try twice more starting today. If you feel the same after those two times, then you can quit.' It was so funny because all the mothers lined up afterward, and they all knew my daughter. Suddenly, one child shouted, 'I won't come if I only go twice!' and jumped out. She hadn't even told the teacher. It was so embarrassing that I hurried her into the car. After that, she said, 'This is the last day!' I emphasized that these are not the children I would force to study, and it’s not something that would work."
In conclusion, Han Ga-in shared, "One principle I have with my children is that I never show them any conflict in front of them. I have experienced how greatly this can affect children, so I never even give my husband a glance in front of them. I now know what I have talent for and what I enjoy doing, only after turning 40. I haven’t had much experience when I was young. So I hope my children find out early. From what I’ve experienced, nothing is better than happily doing what I love. I want to let them experience various things so they can catch on."
[Photo] OSEN DB, tvN, YouTube
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