I really enjoyed this article, and I really like all of the controversy it stirred up in the media/etc when it was first published. It showcases with excellent examples of how different Asian and American cultures can be. This was a very revealing statistic - " In one study of 50 Western American mothers and 48 Chinese immigrant mothers, almost 70% of the Western mothers said either that "stressing academic success is not good for children" or that "parents need to foster the idea that learning is fun." By contrast, roughly 0% of the Chinese mothers felt the same way." I grew up in a second generation Asian American household (my parents both grew up in the states), so I had a different experience than many of my first generation Asian American friends. My parents strongly emphasized academic success, but they were more gentle about it than the stereotypical 'tiger' parents. If I didn't come home with A's, my dad raised hell because he knew I could absolutely do better. If I did poorly, they "assumed strength, not fragility" and expected better. When it came to respect, my parents, and my dad especially, were very strict. If I were disrespectful, my dad immediately made me regret it. I'm immensely thankful for my parent's discipline (I'd be a horrible person without it), and I've never once doubted their love and support for me. Over I think I had an interested experience - someone of a mix between both cultures Chua discusses. My question is what is the line between being an effective parent and going overboard?
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