Amy Chua is the Yale professor who has written a scathing attack of American parenting, accusing parents of being far too soft on their children. David Brooks writes in The New York Times:
Chua didn’t let her own girls go out on play dates or sleepovers. She didn’t let them watch TV or play video games or take part in garbage activities like crafts. Once, one of her daughters came in second to a Korean kid in a math competition, so Chua made the girl do 2,000 math problems a night until she regained her supremacy. Once, her daughters gave her birthday cards of insufficient quality. Chua rejected them and demanded new cards. Once, she threatened to burn all of one of her daughter’s stuffed animals unless she played a piece of music perfectly.
Well, that's all right as far as it goes, though some of us here in Europe might feel that she does not go far enough. In my capacity as a child, I myself was beaten to within an inch of my life by perfectly trained Jesuit priests if I so much as opened my mouth. But did I suffer any irreparable long-term damage? Well, did I?
But I would like to point out that there is a problem in insisting that your children are always first in everything. Only one child can be first in any given class in any given school. So what are the other parents supposed to do - move their children to another school? And supposing you have twins. They can't both be first, can they?
And what if your twins finished joint first at school? I suppose you would have no choice but to punish them both.
Chua didn’t let her own girls go out on play dates or sleepovers. She didn’t let them watch TV or play video games or take part in garbage activities like crafts. Once, one of her daughters came in second to a Korean kid in a math competition, so Chua made the girl do 2,000 math problems a night until she regained her supremacy. Once, her daughters gave her birthday cards of insufficient quality. Chua rejected them and demanded new cards. Once, she threatened to burn all of one of her daughter’s stuffed animals unless she played a piece of music perfectly.
Well, that's all right as far as it goes, though some of us here in Europe might feel that she does not go far enough. In my capacity as a child, I myself was beaten to within an inch of my life by perfectly trained Jesuit priests if I so much as opened my mouth. But did I suffer any irreparable long-term damage? Well, did I?
But I would like to point out that there is a problem in insisting that your children are always first in everything. Only one child can be first in any given class in any given school. So what are the other parents supposed to do - move their children to another school? And supposing you have twins. They can't both be first, can they?
And what if your twins finished joint first at school? I suppose you would have no choice but to punish them both.
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