Yale law professor Amy Chua’s book, ‘Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother,’ has just been published in the US, creating strong reactions from readers that range from praise to outrage.
The book examines the failings of Western parents, who Chua asserts are more concerned with their child’s psyche than success, and therefore set their kids up for a lifetime of mediocrity.
As the ‘Tiger mother’ to two daughters, Amy approached raising her own children with the strict child-rearing model she learned from her own Chinese parents.
“Western parents are concerned about their children’s psyches,” she writes. “Chinese parents aren’t. They assume strength, not fragility, and as a result they behave very differently… That’s why the solution to substandard performance is always to excoriate, punish and shame the child [via The Guardian].”
Poor performance, Amy indicates, is a less than perfect exam score.
She also argues that it’s crucial for a mother to have the strength to override the preferences of her children, noting that her daughters were never allowed to attend a sleep-over, have a play date, watch television, or choose their own extracurricular activities.
Amy notes that this is because it is necessary to be good at something in order to enjoy it, and to be good at something it is necessary to work. Children are never driven to work on their own, she says.
Tell us what you think readers. Are you a ‘Dragon mother’ or do you think Amy’s advice is totally crazy?
Read an excerpt from ‘Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother’ in the Wall Street Journal.
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