Tuesday, January 18, 2011

Parenting Chinese Style

Here's the article that started the fury.
Readers Freak Out: Here.
NYTimes Debate here.
David Brooks: Amy Chua is a Wimp
from Tiger Mom

Here are some things my daughters, Sophia and Louisa, were never allowed to do:

- attend a sleepover
- have a playdate
- be in a school play
- complain about not being in a school play
- watch TV or play computer games
- choose their own extracurricular activities
- get any grade less than an A
- not be the #1 student in every subject except gym and drama
- play any instrument other than the piano or violin
- not play the piano or violin.

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

That Chinese mother is crazy. okay, so her kids will most likely be successful and rich later in life. but will they be happy? or sane for that matter? probably not. unless money can buy them happier, which i hear it can't. also, they will have no friends because of the lacke of social skills they missed out on growing up. i agree with the article replying to this one; she's just sheltering them in a different way.

Gaganjit Khinda said...

I also think the same about that chinese lady... she's crazy. I think its fine to control your kids to one extent but you don't have to treat them like prisoners. I know its pretty much same in India too but the parents in India let you atleast decide what class you want to take in school unlike that chinese lady. This chinese lady doesn't even let her kids take their desired class. I don't think parents should be this controlling.

EmilyMurphy said...

The chinese mother is going way overboard in her parenting style kids need rules to extent but thats just going to far.

Unknown said...

I don't think this Chinese mother is "crazy". Yeah, maybe her kids aren't experiencing some of the most important things like "people skills", but they also aren't going to be a menus to society. Her girls aren't going to HURT us. Maybe they didn't have the best, most playful childhood, but they aren't tagging on buildings, they won't be on unnecessary welfare, and they sure wont be taking up space in our prisons. Who are we to tell her she shouldn't raise her kids like that? Yes, shes quite a bit extreme, but its better she be on this extreme than the other!

Sandi M said...

Regarding the tiger Lady, maybe hind sight is worth something. I see a lot of children - young Adults,today, that believe that they are entitled too a great education and job. when the reality is that education and a job are hard work. We need to have focus, boundary's and Rules that guild us and the children if we are ever going to be a great country again. Delayed Gratification is not a punishment it is a reward for learning to learn the most important key that Friedman talks about. if we look at successful people they had structure ad struggled and learned for failure. to become better.
she is not Crazy she just can see how hard the world will be for her girls and want to make sure they have a plan b if A( marriage and family dont work) that is all mothers want to to see their children succeed
American Children are spoiled
Sandra Marston

Unknown said...

Smart kids, yes. Strict parents, yes. Smart kids due to strict parents, yes. It is all about culture. Dare an 'American' parent say or do some of the strict things Chinese parents do and look out here comes CPS! We (Americans) enjoy the good life and all the perks. It's not that we are lazy, we are a social people. Find an american child who grow up and out of poverty with self esteem and manners and a drive to better themselves from the way their parents were raised and raised them, you will find an individual with a drive and determination that cannot be ripped out of them for anything in this world. (most often those impoverished kids with that drive become very successful & first generation college grads). Those chinese kids are children of drill sergeants! They will either become successful thanks to mom/dad's hard work and determination or they will become wild and crazy lunatics as soon as they get out of mom & dad's convent.