In the previous generation, there were many couples who had no sense of self, only their children.
Parents in China often say that everything they do is "for the children" or "as long as the children are fine, it doesn't matter how we, the adults, fare."
Then, because they only have eyes for their children, some people completely neglect their other halves after having kids, ultimately leading to the breakdown of the family relationship.
If they come to realize this in time, that's still not too bad.
What's more exaggerated is that after the breakdown of the marital relationship, many mothers place all their hopes on their children.
What they say most often every day is, "I'm doing this for your own good."
They can never let go of their "hopes" for themselves.
They treat their children as their possessions, dictating what schools to attend, what jobs to find, and even who to date, all according to their own wishes.
