Mothers are Smart

Mae Wong

Section 1

Week 9

                In the article, “Why Chinese Mothers are Superior” by Amy Chua, Chua discusses her way of disciplining her children, but she combines both Western and Chinese ways of teaching children. She believed that the Western ideology is less helpful because parents are nurturing their children too much that they can do things as they wish to desire. The Chinese ideology of teaching children is by preparing them to excel in their abilities though hard, extraneous work. They believe that their children reflects how the parents have taught their children. Thus, if the child fails, then the parents would feel like they did not teach their child well. As a results, they want to build their children's confidence.

                Chua sets a standard between Western and Chinese disciplining because she does not allow her children to do things that normal Asians would do like play the violin or piano, but she is nurturing through her strict ways. She knows that her child can excel and she wants to build their confidence by pushing their limits. She realized that she can't be too lenient nor can she be too strict because it could lead to an unhappy life for children.

               

Question: Why do people have to label Chinese mothers "tiger mom" or "dragon mom" than a more pleasant name?