Chinese moms vs. Western moms: Is there a mother superior?

Very interesting article…

I think I would have been a Chinese parent…

The “Chinese Mom” theory is that nothing is fun until you’re good at it. And to get good at anything, you have to work hard. “On their own,” Chua writes, “Children never want to work, which is why it is crucial to override their preferences.” This is where Western parents fail, she says, by letting our kids give up too quickly. We simply don’t have the fortitude or patience to push through our children’s resistance.

Maybe modern day parenting in America has become too permissive. Maybe we’ve gotten too soft. We coddle and cajole our children as we gently nudge them passive aggressively to do their chores and their homework.

“Will you please put your clothes away?”

“Let’s study for your spelling test now, OK?”

“Sweetie, can you please turn off the TV and do your 15 minutes of assigned homework reading?”

Seriously, 15 minutes. Even that’s positioned as a question, not a demand.

Go to any school today with a “progressive” philosophy and administrators proudly espouse the virtues of addressing the “whole child” and creating an independent, creative, empathetic individual. These are the buzz words that resonate with Western parents. It’s true, we want happy, well adjusted, well rounded children who will contribute to society. We also buy into the theory that creativity, critical thinking and social skills are essential for future success.

Yes, our kids need to excel at algebra, but we want them to not only learn, but to also enjoy learning in a stimulating environment where they can thrive in their own uniqueness. Rote learning is out; individual exploration is in.

Chua condemns these methods as Western foolishness. Drill and kill, practice until perfect — this is the Chinese Mom way. “Tenacious practice, practice, practice is crucial for excellence; rote repetition is underrated in America,” Chua writes.

But in our Western style of enjoying and embracing, where children always expect warm fuzzies and trophies, even if they actually stink, have we become parental enablers to laziness and mediocrity?

via Chinese moms vs. Western moms: Is there a mother superior? – CNN.com.