Announcer Helps Mothers Solve Problems, Improve Themselves via Online Groups

Tao Zhen (right) was selected "one of the good women netizens" during an activity. [For Women of China]

Tao Zhen is a well-known announcer in central China's Henan Province. During the past 20-plus years, Tao has devoted herself to serving — with great enthusiasm — women and children. She has established online groups, where women can help each other solve various problems, such as issues involved with raising and educating children. She has also motivated the mothers to read more books and improve themselves.

Love in Her Voice

Many people in Henan are fans of Tao because of her gentle voice and high-quality programs. Tao became an announcer at Zhengzhou People's Broadcasting Station in 1990, in Zhengzhou, capital of Henan Province. She hosted a children's program, Little Bell, on the radio. Her listeners referred to her as "Sister Taozhir" (peach juice, the pronunciation is similar to her name).

At that time, Tao visited more than 200 kindergartens in Zhengzhou, as she wanted to offer good programs suitable to children. She attended classes with children, and she communicated with kindergarten teachers about what the children liked and needed. She also attended classes for advanced studies held in Nanjing University and Communication University of China, to improve her program -hosting skills. Given her efforts, the Little Bell program attracted many children and their parents.

In 1994, Tao began to pay attention to female issues. Later that year, she established Moon Boat, a broadcasting program related to female issues. It became the first women-related program broadcast in Henan Province. "A woman should create more good and beautiful things for people in society. Now, many women bear more pressure, placed on them by their families and work. We need to help them ease pressure and guide them to raise and educate their children in a scientific way," recalls Tao.

She began hosting a daily talk show on radio in 2013. Every day, she answered questions posed by listeners, including family and marriage problems and difficulties in the workplace. She passed the exam to receive certification as a national psychologist, so she could help listeners solve their problems in a better way. In 2017, she completed a master's degree, in applied psychology, at the Vanguard Institute of Technology (in the United States).

Accompanying Children

Tao has many followers on the Internet. Many of them have issues related to the education of children. Many mothers have left messages about their problems on the Internet. Tao uses her free time to help the mothers solve their problems. She established Zhen Mama, a WeChat group, in 2015, and she has called on parents to spend more time accompanying their children. "Some adults have psychological problems, as their parents spent little time accompanying them when they were young. So, I hope parents will not neglect their children, even if they are busy with their work. A family should be a happy place for a child," says Tao.

"In many families, mothers are the main force in raising and educating their children. Many mothers are anxious about how to educate their children. I established the WeChat group, as I wanted mothers to learn from each other about how to raise and educate their children via the group," Tao continues.

Many people learned about the chat group from word of mouth. Many mothers wanted to join the group. As the upper limit of a group was 500 members, Tao established nearly 30 groups. She has recruited some managers, and each manager is responsible for administering a group. She also invites experts to give lessons about child psychology, healthy diets and parent-child, book-reading activities. They recommend good children's books, and they help the members solve their problems associated with raising and educating their children. Thousands of mothers have benefited from the lessons.

Children's Cheerleaders

Tao in February 2018 was selected "one of the good women netizens" during an activity organized by the Publicity Department of the All-China Women's Federation and the Office of the Central Cyberspace Affairs Commission. "The honor belongs to all the mothers in the WeChat groups. Without them, I cannot have influence on so many people," says Tao.

Tao, a book lover, has established a book-reading WeChat group, to deliver positive energy and encourage mothers to read more books. She has mobilized the group's members to listen to audiobooks about women's self-improvement and family education for an hour each morning. More than 1,000 books have been recommended to the members.

"We plan to offer online lessons about culture, family education and everyday aesthetics (a subfield of philosophical aesthetics focusing on everyday events, settings and activities) via live streaming later this year. More laughter will be brought into mothers' lives, when they are improving themselves. When thousands of mothers make progress, hand in hand, they will add more warmth to society," Tao says.

"I gave birth to my son when I was 39. Now, he is a student in Grade 3 at a primary school. He has countless interesting ideas. I also have problems in educating him as he continues to grow up. I cannot deal with the problems on many occasions, even though I have studied many educational concepts. I am sometimes anxious about how to educate my son well. To tell the truth, I am grateful for the mothers in the WeChat groups. They have helped me a lot," says Tao.

When talking about her secrets of educating her son, Tao says, "The first and foremost thing is to accept our children comprehensively, and to act as their cheerleaders. Many parents tend to treat their children strictly, after teachers or other people criticize their children. Children need support from their family members when they are growing up. Our mothers need to say more than 10 advantages of our children in one breath. We should always remember to appreciate our children, and we should become their good friends. Another important thing is to draw a dividing line between parents and children. Our children need their own space, and what we should do is to respect them."

Tao Zhen attends an activity. [For Women of China]

(Women of China)