Fern helps her mum sell food in Krabi. She also speaks four languages fluently.

[snoop1130]

Fern helps her mum sell food in Krabi. She also speaks four languages fluently.

By Kritsada Mueanhawong

 

PHOTO: A five year old Thai girl, who can speak three foreign languages, helps her mother to sell food along the beach in Krabi.

 

A young beach vendor who sells food along Klong Heng Beach in Krabi, is carrying two baskets with fruits and snacks. She can speak Thai but also Chinese, English and Bahasa Malay languages. She is seen daily communicating fluently with tourists and providing the correct change when tourists buy food from her.

 

The girl’s name is Warassaya ‘Fern’ Patin. She’s the daughter of 45 year old Sunee Patimin.

 

Khun Sunee say, “I have a fruit juice shop nearby here. My daughter carries the baskets along the beach. She greets tourists before she informs them what she has in her baskets. Many tourists like her and buy her food.”

 

Full Story: https://thethaiger.com/news/krabi/fern-helps-her-mum-sell-food-in-krabi-she-also-speaks-four-languages-fluently

 

-- © Copyright The Thaiger 2018-8-15

[thequietman]

She's def a little cutie and good for her for helping her mum. Hope she's going to school and not working all the time.

[Get Real]

Yep, today we disguise child labour with the nice phrase of helping her mother that is a beach vendor. That is probably what you have to do as a country that have signed UNCEF and OHCHR and all the conventions related to that.

[ToddinChonburi]

She should be in school now. What a BS  story.

[manicmike68]

It seems as if many people here have not read the article and are just assuming things. It clearly says that she does go to school. She is in kindergarten and she helps her mom after school is finished. Please don't jump to conclusions about this child and her mother.

[LennyW]

Child exploitation alive and well!!

Some people think thats cute, i think it's vile!!!

[OmarZaid]

50 minutes ago, LennyW said:

Child exploitation alive and well!!

Some people think thats cute, i think it's vile!!!

hmmmm ... I began work as a paper boy at age 7 .... been working ever since .... even in retirement never once felt exploited ...

[loong]

I think that fluent may well be an exaggeration, but she is obviously able to communicate very well in 3 foreign languages. Just shows how young minds can absorb knowledge.

It is nice to see that the school takes the role of educating children seriously. 

[user564545]

41 minutes ago, OmarZaid said:

hmmmm ... I began work as a paper boy at age 7 .... been working ever since .... even in retirement never once felt exploited ...

 

Obviously you are not from the UK or USA, as their child labour laws do not permit children to be exploited at such an early age.

[sammieuk1]

Very good she could easily make PM here in 5 years and hope no one ever tells her about other ways of correct change ? 

[faraday]

Lovely story, & as usual some people on here just have to misread & reinterpretate it, so they can make it miserable.

 

Give it a rest.

 

 

[jimreindeer]

Quote

“She studies in a kindergarten at Kitiwaitayanusorn School in Krabi. At her school they are also teaching three foreign languages – English, Chinese and Bahasa Malay. She is a talkative girl. She always followed me to sell food since she was very young. She loves listening when I talk with customers and is a very quick learner.”

I think this a little girl has a good future.

[Mickmouse1]

1 hour ago, LennyW said:

Child exploitation alive and well!!

Some people think thats cute, i think it's vile!!!

Who is exploiting that lovely child? At least they do not have to wander from bar to another or for her mom to resort to a "vile" method using the child to earn a living through demented thinking farangs. 

I wonder if you will volunteer to pay for her education to save her the exploitation ?

[whaleboneman]

2 hours ago, LennyW said:

Child exploitation alive and well!!

Some people think thats cute, i think it's vile!!!

She looks pretty happy to me.

Also, people born here often don't have the opportunities that we foreigners had. Quite common for the children to work and help the family so they all can eat - not vile at all.

[AdamTheFarang]

5 hours ago, Get Real said:

Yep, today we disguise child labour with the nice phrase of helping her mother that is a beach vendor. That is probably what you have to do as a country that have signed UNCEF and OHCHR and all the conventions related to that.

As Westerners we take school for granted but if that meant she would starve what is the better option? You have no idea how rich or poor the mother is so do not judge.

[AdamTheFarang]

5 hours ago, Get Real said:

Yep, today we disguise child labour with the nice phrase of helping her mother that is a beach vendor. That is probably what you have to do as a country that have signed UNCEF and OHCHR and all the conventions related to that.

"She helps me sell food after school and during weekend. She also makes sure she always does her homework.”

[Get Real]

11 minutes ago, AdamTheFarang said:

As Westerners we take school for granted but if that meant she would starve what is the better option? You have no idea how rich or poor the mother is so do not judge.

They actually have free school for poor people in Thailand, or almost free. I guess that must be better than no school at all. By the way, I am going to keep on judging. Feel free to read the next one. 

[Get Real]

13 minutes ago, AdamTheFarang said:

"She helps me sell food after school and during weekend. She also makes sure she always does her homework.”

Doesn´t matter. It´s still child labour.

[AdamTheFarang]

12 minutes ago, Get Real said:

Doesn´t matter. It´s still child labour.

Do you know the meaning of "Keyboard warrior" get some fresh air or don't you go out like the happy girl and her happy Mum. PS note the word "happy" something I would replace with "Grumpy" for you. Now get real, Get Real and be happy not grumpy.

[dddave]

2 hours ago, loong said:

I think that fluent may well be an exaggeration, but she is obviously able to communicate very well in 3 foreign languages. Just shows how young minds can absorb knowledge.

It is nice to see that the school takes the role of educating children seriously. 

Linguistic studies have shown that kids between 3 and 5 years old have the ability to learn multiple languages simultaneously yet keep them on separate tracks, not confusing them.  This ability greatly diminishes from age 6 and on.

I saw a perfect example of this.  I used to have a multi family house, four apartments.  My GF and I lived in one, the ground floor had a Hispanic family with kids and another had a family recently from Israel, also with kids.

A Japanese family moved into the fourth apartment; the husband was in Boston for a two year fellowship. They had a little girl, three years old who on arrival, spoke only Japanese.

Within six months, that little girl was speaking English with English speaking kids, Spanish with the Hispanic kids and Hebrew with the kids from Israel.  It was pretty amazing to witness.

[Foexie]

13 hours ago, thequietman said:

She's def a little cutie and good for her for helping her mum. Hope she's going to school and not working all the time.

You should read the Original article to answer your question.

 

"

“She studies in a kindergarten at Kitiwaitayanusorn School in Krabi. At her school they are also teaching three foreign languages – English, Chinese and Bahasa Malay. She is a talkative girl. She always followed me to sell food since she was very young. She loves listening when I talk with customers and is a very quick learner.”

“She asks to help me sell food even if I think she is still very young. She should be playing with her friends like other children do but she enjoys doing this. She has never told me that she is tired. She helps me sell food after school and during weekend. She also makes sure she always does her homework.”

"

And yes it is accualy child labor but my gf's niece (+/-11y) loves to help her grandmother whenever she can to bring vegies and fruit to the market to sell and make some money with it. Nobody is forcing her.And she is also a very good student. Last school year she did had the top grades of her class.

[beavenlen]

it has always been a pratice in uk for 11 year old children to rise early to do a paper round,i also have worked since i was about 10 or 11 and now retired cannot and do not want to quit,hard work never did me any harm.

[Scottie12]

What a  lot of politically correct child exploitation rubbish. This is a happy kid helping her mum and she is learning whilst doing it.

[cornishcarlos]

5 hours ago, ToddinChonburi said:

She should be in school now. What a BS  story.

 

Yup... And by the time she finishes school, she will speak one language and need a calculator to work out change for 10 baht from a 20 baht note...

[hotchilli]

4 hours ago, LennyW said:

Child exploitation alive and well!!

Some people think thats cute, i think it's vile!!!

Yes I think in this case it's cute !!

There's a big difference between child exploitation & a childs up-bringing/education...

nothing wrong with letting her feel useful after school or at the weekends, she can help mom, plus learn a few "life skill's", obviously she's gaining experience at a new language phrase or two ,

I for one hope she gets a good grounding to make her a well rounded young girl...

 

 

[Tony125]

1 hour ago, AdamTheFarang said:

Do you know the meaning of "Keyboard warrior" get some fresh air or don't you go out like the happy girl and her happy Mum. PS note the word "happy" something I would replace with "Grumpy" for you. Now get real, Get Real and be happy not grumpy.

Don't think he goes out much as he has almost 7,000 posts in less than 2 years on TV.  I don't have a problem with people with high post counts but those with very high ones in short time either  think they know it all  or have a lot of time on their hands to sit at a keyboard to argue, too sedentary a life get out enjoy life.If you click on his avatar he describes himself as " very irritating member" Guess we can all agree he's got that right.

 

 

[metisdead]

Trolling posts and baiting posts and the replies have been removed.  

[worgeordie]

When I was a young lad,they were pushing me up chimneys ,

until I got too fat.

No not really,but started helping in family business,from a 

young age,did not see it as exploitation,more as a way to earn

money,at about 10 my older brother and i used to push a barrow

around the houses,selling,firewood,eggs, and potatoes,not at 

same time,after school and holidays,that's how I found out about 

the value of money,from a young age,working hard for it.I was always

a saver, created several businesses over the years,retired at 42,hoping

i had enough savings,and 30 years later,have more than when I retired,

I just cannot understand,why people that have enough money to retire,keep

on working.

regards worgeordie

[sungod]

My youngest helps me wash the car, guess I should stop exploiting him and start being a decent father.

[rossd]

4 hours ago, secondfusilier said:

 

Obviously you are not from the UK or USA, as their child labour laws do not permit children to be exploited at such an early age.

I am from the UK and did a morning and evening paper round at the age of nine, enjoyed it very much. It taught me the meaning of punctuality and how to deal with the public i.e. customers.