Why Chinese Mothers Are Superior By Amy China Summary

After reading Why Chinese Mothers Are Superior by Amy Chua, I learned three key differences between Chinese and Western “mothering.” First, Western parents are focused on the physiological behavior of academics and self-esteem issues with their children while Chinese parents are not. Second, Western parents view their children to try their best and do not need to repay the parents, in contrast Chinese parents view their children to be permanently in debt to them. Last, Chinese parents believe that they know what is best for their children. Western parents will not over-ride their children and allow their children do what it is they desire. Western parents focus on more of the physiological development of their child. The parents fear that if they were too harsh on their child, he or she will gain self-esteem issues. So to prevent it, they typically would go around the issue by bringing it up in a discrete but efficient way. In other words, Western parents
Western parents will not over-ride their children and allow their children do what it is they desire. Another story Chua told in the article was when she was teaching Lulu, her daughter, when she was 7 the piano piece “The Little White Donkey” by French composer Jacques Ibert. Al though this piece is cute, it is extremely difficult for young players to learn because the two hands have to keep schizophrenically different rhythms. She used every tactic she could think of so Lulu could learn the piece even when Lulu punched, thrashed and kicked. Her husband Jed, a Western parent, told her to stop insulting Lulu and maybe she really couldn’t do the technique. Chua, a Chinese parent, expected Lulu to learn it no matter the excuse. By the end of the story Lulu could play the piece. However, Jed wanted Lulu to be happy and he thought having her stop playing the piece would make her happy, but Chua believed Lulu owed it to her to learn the