Children all over the world have all tried different methods of parenting. Some parents go all out in order to make a successful child, and some are more casual about it.
In the article “Why Chinese Mothers Are Superior” by Amy Chua, we hear about her experiences with the Chinese way of raising your children, and how this has affected her and her family.
In the beginning of the article, we are told that the writer, Amy Chua, is a professor at Yale Law School and that she has two daughters. Besides that, we hear that she sees herself as a so-called “Chinese mother”. She says that Chinese mothers do not necessarily need to be Chinese, but it is a term that is used to describe a type of very strict parent with unusual ways of disciplining their child. A Chinese mother is, used as a contrast to a “Western type of parent”. What Amy Chua describes throughout the article is precisely what a Chinese parent is.
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Amy Chua has two daughters, Sophia and Louisa. She tells us that their childhood was very different to many of their friends’. For example, they are not allowed to have, attend sleepovers, watch TV or other things that children would consider fun. Instead, they must focus on being the number one student in their class. For some, this might seem a bit harsh, but Chua argues that when children get good at the tasks and exercises that are expected of them, they become fun and exciting for them to do.
Amy Chua’s opinion is very clear. Throughout the article she states how she thinks her way of raising children is better than the “western way”. To back that up she also uses studies, with 50 western women and 48 immigrated Chinese women, that shows how 70% of the 50 western women, all mothers, said that “stressing academic success is not good for children.” In contrast to that 0% of the Chinese women agreed.
Another point Amy Chua use is the way that Chinese mothers can talk to their kids. According to Chua, Chinese mothers can get away with saying things that Western parents can’t. For example, she uses an example from her own childhood. Apparently, Amy Chua was rude toward her mother, which resulted in her father calling her “garbage.” This caused Chua to be ashamed and regretful of what she had done. Because of this experience, she also used this word with her own daughters when they acted without respect. To Amy Chua this is perfectly normal, and it seems that she is very pleased about the fact that she can say exactly what she means. She claims that the general understanding in the Chinese families is that the children owe their parents everything. Therefore, they must use determination to “repay” their parents by making them proud and pleased.
The Chinese mothers believe that they know what is best for their children, which is the reason why they cannot do “normal” kid activities. This is what Amy Chua has based her method of education of her children on, and she really does believe that this is the best way to act towards your children. However, her husband, Jed, is of another belief. He is, what Chua calls, a “Western parent”, and he does not believe that the children need to repay their parents.
