A Mother's Devotion: Raising 12,000 Silkworms to Help Her Son's Dream of Making His Own Blanket

A mother in Wuhan, China is raising over 12,000 silkworms at home to help fulfill her 6-year-old son's wish to weave a silk blanket himself, turning it into a heartwarming family story.

According to reports from May 13, Xuan posted on social media that she was exhausted from raising the silkworms, joking that she nearly called the police. The post gained significant attention online and attracted media interest.

Xuan explained that her son spontaneously asked to raise silkworms to make a blanket himself. Since the family had previous silkworm-raising experience and her husband was supportive, they launched the project. They constructed breeding enclosures from cardboard boxes and ordered over 10,000 silk eggs online. Combined with eggs they already had, approximately 12,000 silkworms hatched. The silkworms consume up to 15 kilograms of mulberry leaves daily.

The silkworms are now beginning to spin their cocoons, and the family has collected over 5,000 cocoons. The father is learning silk blanket-making techniques, carefully extracting silk threads layer by layer by hand to transform all the cocoons into a special blanket for his son. For them, what truly matters is not completing the blanket itself, but encouraging their child to explore new things and try new challenges.

"I hope my son will continue to love exploring new things and be brave in trying them," the father said. "I hope he understands that failure is okay, as long as he grows into a strong, cheerful person who can live well in any situation."

Xuan acknowledges that while daily silkworm care is tiring, what her son gains from this hands-on experience—patience, responsibility, and joy from awaiting results—is worth far more than any toy.