Tuesday, August 16, 2011

Why ‘Chinese Mothers’ Are Not Superior | The Harvard Crimson

"Every day you can read a newspaper article that frets about China’s rise to dominance on the world stage. Today, thanks to Amy Chua, you can read about China’s rise to dominance on the parenting stage. In her controversial Wall Street Journal article and equally controversial best-seller, Amy Chua advocates for strict “Chinese” parenting methods over more lax, “American” methods. The main fault in Chua’s argument is that “Chinese mothers”—a term for an authoritarian, domineering parent, regardless of ethnicity—may raise high-achieving children in the short-term, but, in the long-term, their authoritarian methods stunt success.

“Chinese mothers” have proven so successful in raising hardworking, intelligent offspring because of the immense esteem they hold for education and because of the sacrifices they are willing to undertake. However, there is evidence to believe that their methods do more long-term harm than good. The authoritarian, perfectionist mindset that drives many of these parents tends to vastly underestimate the value of self-motivation and intellectual curiosity as factors of success.

From Chua’s perspective, “Chinese mothers” are any parents who value their children’s achievement over their children’s self-esteem, and who believe it is their responsibility to ensure this achievement. At the heart of it all, “Chinese mothers” believe in teaching their children the strength to overcome obstacles, even at the expense of individuality and a slightly bruised ego."

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Aizudin - Lanjutan cerita Amy Chua...

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