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| Chinese Mother and Child in traditional clothing |
I just finished reading Mary Chua’s “Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother”. Very interesting to say the least. My curiosity was raised by a Wall Street Journal review entitled “Why Chinese Mothers are Superior”. Eye brows raising title isn’t it? Of course there was also a deluge of comments pro and con sent to WSJ which in itself was very interesting. I’ll let you read them yourselves. Junin Jushoku 十人十色 （＾＾）
Being a law professor at Yale, Mary Chua definitely is no dummy. Although a 2nd generation Chinese American, she is quite immersed in Chinese traditions. Her husband is Jewish which makes it more interesting. Naturally their two daughters are raised with both Chinese and Jewish influences. Another interesting situation. This blog isn’t about the very interesting multicultural life of a upper echelon American/Chinese/Jewish family. My interest is in the “
training/educating” of her two daughters.
Let me excerpt some lines from the book (You should really read it. Fascinating )
A typical weekend schedule.
Saturday:
1 hr drive (at 8:00 a.m.) to Norwalk CT
3 hour orchestra practice
1 hr drive back to New Haven
Homework
1-2 hrs violin practice
1 hr family fun activity (optional)
Sunday:
1-2 hrs violin practice
2 hr drive to New York ity
1 hr lesson with Miss Tanaka
2 hr drive back to New Haven
Homework
or
"All the same, even when Western parents think they're being strict, they usually don't come close to being Chinese mothers. For example, my Western friends who consider themselves strict make their children practice their instruments 30 minutes every day. An hour at most. For a Chinese mother, the first hour is the easy part. It's hours two and three that get tough."
Now just from the excerpts above you get an idea what it must have been like for a pre-teenager with Amy Chua as her mother.
I sometimes (more often when I was teaching Judo) see the same intensity in parents who have their children learn martial arts. I often wonder who the child is practicing for. Himself or for the parents? I am sure the parents do it thinking it is “for the good” of the child. Hmmm I wonder how the child feels.
I am a staunch believer that martial arts is beneficial to the development of a child. But it is only as good as the input and control of the parents and instructors Everyone has heard the term “Little League Daddies/Mommies” or ”Backstage Mommies” I often think that these types of parents do it for their own ego. At times it may be a quest by the parents to bathe in the glory of their children of titles the parents themselves could not achieve. In extreme cases, the child and parents end up in misery. Now that is not the goal of martial arts.
Anyway, please take time to read the book. I think you will find it very interesting.
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| Which path are you taking with your child? |
