Parenting is different for everyone, but is any one way really better than the other? Amy Chua, a professor at Yale University, believes that the strict parenting style of Chinese mothers is the way to go. She believes that her strict and often harsh parenting style contributed to the success of her daughters. Chinese parents believe that if their children are successful, it is a reflection of the parents. Hanna Rosin, a contributing editor for the Atlantic, has very different views from Ms. Chua about the correct parenting style. Ms. Rosin believes that the more relaxed, nurturing, and self-led style of Western parenting is the better way to raise children. She believes that placing ...view middle of the document...
There is often a lot of fighting in the household due to the constant pressure, as stated by Ms. Chua. In her own home, she was trying to get her daughter to play a hard musical piece on the piano, and it was not going well. She and her daughter ended up yelling at each other, and the mother threatened to give away her toys if she didn’t perfect the piece. In the end, the daughter perfected the piece, and was extremely happy with herself. Even with all of the fighting, tears, and disarray, the children eventually succeed. The reason for the persistence of the parents is to not allow the child to just quit and give up, to teach them that you have to work to achieve greatness. Some Western parents look down on this style of parenting, saying that it creates bad relationships with the parents, or can cause psychological damage that will last into adulthood. Many children who have been raised in the Chinese mothering style don’t seem to have a problem with the way they were brought up. In fact, a lot of them are grateful for the way their parents pushed them to succeed, and that there was no option for failure. Other children raised in this style had opposite opinions though. These people may change the way they parent their future children.
Hanna Rosin has a very different style of parenting than Amy Chua. Ms. Rosin prefers the more relaxed Western style of parenting. Western parents are just as hands on with their children as the Chinese parents, just in a different way. They are very nurturing, caring, and very specific about what the child is around. For example, some Western parents choose to make their baby’s food from fresh organic produce instead of buying premade food, or they may choose to cloth diaper, or delay vaccines. The Western parent is very careful and meticulous with the parenting decisions they make. Today, the Western style of parenting seems to be more self-led, on the part of the child. The parents allow the children to choose what kinds of extracurricular activities to participate in at school, or even choose a sport or musical instrument (other than the piano or violin). The Western parent allows the child to show...
