This WSJ article with the same title should be of high interest to most readers of this blog who, I believe, are either parents of young ones or prospective parents. The author, Amy Chua, is a parent and a professor at Yale Law School. Her Chinese approach to strict parenting was an extremely refreshing reading for my wife and I; stereotypes aside, we agree with most of her parenting philosophy. I hope you will find it useful. Here are a couple of quotes from the article:
"Chinese parents can order their kids to get straight As. Western parents can only ask their kids to try their best."
"...studies indicate that compared to Western parents, Chinese parents spend approximately 10 times as long every day drilling academic activities with their children. By contrast, Western kids are more likely to participate in sports teams."
Now as an empty nester, thank God for that! Don’t get me wrong I Love all my children dearly away like out of town love.
I think it’s not about which is better or choosing the strict method “my way or the high way” or the other extreme. But to seize the moment and try to make wise decisions, easier said than done. So looking back at least for me too much passion mixed with fear and worries were the most hindrances at making those wise decisions. From experience more often those wide decisions did not come from the head knowledge like in as book smart but from the heart. Oh! Yes! Just the simple and humble things - save the day most of the time.
You make some good points, which surely comes from years in the trenches of raising your kid(s). I am aware that there are as many ways to raise kids as there are families. I saw Choa's article from my vantage point of an Ethiopian parent who enjoys living in a Western society. There are some parental skills that I am willing to adopt from my Western friends, but most of what I observe in their parenting skills is not very inviting to me. Also, Choa's point about Chinese parents willing to make big sacrifices for their children resonates a lot with me.
2 comments:
Hello! Happy New Year!
Now as an empty nester, thank God for that! Don’t get me wrong I Love all my children dearly away like out of town love.
I think it’s not about which is better or choosing the strict method “my way or the high way” or the other extreme. But to seize the moment and try to make wise decisions, easier said than done.
So looking back at least for me too much passion mixed with fear and worries were the most hindrances at making those wise decisions.
From experience more often those wide decisions did not come from the head knowledge like in as book smart but from the heart. Oh! Yes! Just the simple and humble things - save the day most of the time.
Wro. Akalu,
You make some good points, which surely comes from years in the trenches of raising your kid(s). I am aware that there are as many ways to raise kids as there are families. I saw Choa's article from my vantage point of an Ethiopian parent who enjoys living in a Western society. There are some parental skills that I am willing to adopt from my Western friends, but most of what I observe in their parenting skills is not very inviting to me. Also, Choa's point about Chinese parents willing to make big sacrifices for their children resonates a lot with me.
Fikru
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