I am back in Singapore! :D

okay i'm feeling a bit lazy to  blog. I actually mainly wanna share this article i read about a week ago, and then came across it again today.
It is a rather controversial article about parenting 'chinese-style', by a Chinese mother living in a Western society. Here are some excerpts.

Why Chinese Mothers Are Superior 

By AMY CHUA

"What Chinese parents understand is that nothing is fun until you're good at it. To get good at anything you have to work, and children on their own never want to work, which is why it is crucial to override their preferences. This often requires fortitude on the part of the parents because the child will resist; things are always hardest at the beginning, which is where Western parents tend to give up..."

"Western parents worry a lot about their children's self-esteem. But as a parent, one of the worst things you can do for your child's self-esteem is to let them give up. On the flip side, there's nothing better for building confidence than learning you can do something you thought you couldn't.."

"All decent parents want to do what's best for their children. The Chinese just have a totally different idea of how to do that. Western parents try to respect their children's individuality, encouraging them to pursue their true passions, supporting their choices, and providing positive reinforcement and a nurturing environment. By contrast, the Chinese believe that the best way to protect their children is by preparing them for the future, letting them see what they're capable of, and arming them with skills, work habits and inner confidence that no one can ever take away..."

credit: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704111504576059713528698754.html

Though some of her parenting styles can be a bit extreme (i'm speaking from the receiving end, as in me imagining my parents doing that to me), i do see the message she's trying to send. Maybe it's because i'm Asian and I received a similar parenting style (not as traditional or strict though), and am likely to do the same for my kids in the future. Regardless, i think it's a very interesting article in highlighting the differences. Funnily enough, the more exposed i am to the West and their culture, the more rooted i am in home and being Asian. Not that the West isn't good, but it's just different. haha that's the best way i can describe it. Of course it's easy to generalize West vs. Asian but its the only measure of understanding the differences too. I think this article has sparked some debate and received some critics but well, each family is different and on what basis is one's method superior over the other? A very similar argument to the asian values debate, i would say.

Either ways, it's worth a read - click on the title, and worth a thought (:

bisous!