Yale law professor Amy Chua is earning infamy for her book Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother. The book displays Chua’s harsh brand of what she refers to as Chinese parenting. While many Americans are appalled by her parenting tactics, declaring them deploring and showing outright disdain for Chua, she holds firm. She is determined to have her children succeed in what she deems a fierce global competition. While many parents question here parenting due to the lack of love and acceptance she retorts that those are just excuses for not succeeding. She expects her children to do well and that is exactly what she demands of them. To her there are no excuses for failure, it’s all about effort. She goes on to criticize Western parenting for not preparing children for the future.
It raises the question of what makes good parenting. Should a parent be loving and accepting, or should they pressure their children to succeed at any cost? The Western form of parenting is about raising independent and creative children; it focuses on them expressing themselves. Asian parenting, on the other hand, is about succeeding. In spite of the qualms many people have expressed about such measures they have showed results. Even psychology reports support tough parenting because it prepares children to deal with problems and successfully make decisions. On the other hand, children that are coddled are unable to make the choices necessary for the future because they are unable to handle problems themselves. Maybe Asian parenting is the way to go since Asians students are often better able to overcome disadvantages such as coming from low-income backgrounds and still seeking higher education. The drive to succeed is one that must be instilled in children, and maybe this book is just the wakeup call Americans need; it is a realization of American fears of the rising power of China. It might just be time for parents to step up their game.
Source: Paul, Annie Murphy. "Tiger Moms: Is Tough Parenting Really the Answer?" 11 January 2011. TIME. 2 March 2011 <http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,2043313-1,00.html>.
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