Francis Ng’s Tears Touched Viewers on “Dad, Where Are We Going?”
Viewers have been paying extra attention to Francis Ng’s (吳鎮宇) and his five-year-old son Feynman Ng on the second season of the mainland Chinese reality show, Dad, Where Are We Going? <爸爸去哪兒?>. Behind Francis’ veil of discipline comes a very caring and sensitive father.
In a recent episode of the show, Feynman injured the corner of his eye while he was trying to climb back onshore after falling off from a boat. In fear that his father would scold him for his recklessness, Feynman was too afraid to go home. When a staff member told Francis that Feynman fell off a boat, Francis angrily said, “I knew this would happen! Let him fall off!”
Francis furiously muttered to himself as he rushed to the scene to pick up his son. When he arrived, Francis did not immediately go up to his son but watched him from the side, saying, “Let’s see his reaction to this incident first. I want him to face these troubles himself so he will remember them.”
Francis finally approached his son and held him in his arms as they walked home. Francis asked, “Why didn’t you go back home when you hurt yourself? Think about it.”
When Francis was tending Feynman’s wound back home, he consistently scolded his son for his carelessness but his eyes were brimming with tears. “Next time when you hurt yourself, you have to let me know, okay?” The father and son made a pinky promise. Francis then embraced Feynman tightly, tears falling from his eyes. Many viewers expressed that they cried with him.
Francis said, “I remembered how when I was younger my mother would also scold me when I get too playful and injure myself. But my mother would be in tears and tell me that, when she cries while hitting me, I should never forget her words of reason.”
After the episode aired, Francis uploaded a follow-up comment on his Weibo, expressing that no matter what happens, it is the parents that will be the most affected when their child gets hurt.
“Many people would probably wonder why I, as a father, would still be so strict on Feynman when he fell in the water and injured himself. There was a part that everyone missed – when I was trying to persuade Feynman to return home for dinner, he suddenly insisted to use someone else’s bathroom, refusing to go back home. That’s why an accident happened! It’s like how children who were given a midnight curfew refuse to listen to their parents and in the end, an accident happened past midnight. As parents, we would definitely be furious, but when something happens to the kids, it is the parents that are hurting the most.”
Source: Ming Pao
This article is written by Addy for JayneStars.com
Is there a place we can actually watch this series in the US? I’d love to see Francis in action as a father.
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLUM8x224JrX_Dh3aC_9zx45Krq_cpZYic
@Michael, thank you so much for providing the link!
You can also watch on Hunan TV’s website — there are also alot of behind the scenes clips on their site as well as edited footage…first season is also available there as well for those interested. Here’s the link: http://www.hunantv.com/v/1/51115/
I actually started watching this show during second season and only recently went back and watched all of season one. So far, I like both seasons equally well, though I do agree that the second season seems to be alot more edited than the first season, at least based on the first few episodes that have already aired.
In terms of the different parenting styles on the show — to me, I don’t see the point of comparing one parent’s style over the other because everyone is different — what works with one child might not work with another. So far, the dads seem to be doing a pretty good job with their kids in my opinion….
Thank you, llwy12!
I love this show. Just watched the episode and I can totally feel for Francis when Feynman was hurt, yet he still toughen himself to teach Feynman. Reminds me a bit of his character Sam in Triumph in the skies.
Having said that I thought they have over edited this season. Last year’s have a better flow and the editing is not as heavy.
Too much product placement. Stopped watching.
I like tian tian and zhang liang the best!!!
i like zhang liang too, he is such a great father in his own way.
Francis has my parents ways in parenting, i like him most in this season.
as for kids, i like tian tian and yang yang yang
From the first season, I also like Tian Tian the most while from second season, I’ve pretty much fallen in love with little Yang Yang Yang (hahaha)– he is super cute (love that smile of his) and may come across as a bit shy, but when he does open his mouth to speak, he talks like an adult. (On a related note, I think Francis likes YYY too — remember when he danced with YYY during that earlier episode when he cooked at Yang Wei’s place and also episode 3 during the basketball game with Yao Ming where Francis kissed YYY…that was cute…lol!)
I felt so bad for Joe when he cried at the market! He is such a sweet kid and brother.
Saw a bit of the video. Felt strange why he speaks mandarin to his child. But I was much affected by Francis very honest depiction of how he discipline and teaches his son. Harsh at times but whatever he is doing now, he is setting his son up for life. That is what a father should do. Impressive. And the son is a cutie.
He does speak Cantonese to his son when the camera man is not around. It’s strange to me that the son only responds in English or Mandarin.
Good Father!
that kid is such a cutie!!
Is Gary’s Cao’s daughther younger than his son or older? They call her older sister but she looks so much smaller than Joe.
Grace is the younger sister — she is 3 years old while Joe is 5. Grace just likes everyone to call her ‘older sister’, so it has become a nickname of sorts. She’s actually the youngest child on the show…