My oldest daughter accused me of being like a Crazy Asian Dad when I was less than thrilled with her math score on the GRE (her verbal scores were great). There's been several books and articles about how Asian parents push their kids toward success. I've skimmed several and its does indeed appear that I am a Crazy Asian Dad -- "Son you can be anything you want, ... Doctor or Engineer."
This clip from the WSJ pretty much matches my philosophy of child rearing:
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. But if done properly, the Chinese strategy produces a virtuous circle. Tenacious practice, practice, practice is crucial for excellence; rote repetition is underrated in America. Once a child starts to excel at somethingwhether it's math, piano, pitching or ballethe or she gets praise, admiration and satisfaction. This builds confidence and makes the once not-fun activity fun. This in turn makes it easier for the parent to get the child to work even more.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704111504576059713528698754.html#printMode
I'm thinking this style of parenting beats the hell out of traditional American parenting. What do you guys think?
This clip from the WSJ pretty much matches my philosophy of child rearing:
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. But if done properly, the Chinese strategy produces a virtuous circle. Tenacious practice, practice, practice is crucial for excellence; rote repetition is underrated in America. Once a child starts to excel at somethingwhether it's math, piano, pitching or ballethe or she gets praise, admiration and satisfaction. This builds confidence and makes the once not-fun activity fun. This in turn makes it easier for the parent to get the child to work even more.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704111504576059713528698754.html#printMode
I'm thinking this style of parenting beats the hell out of traditional American parenting. What do you guys think?
