Parenting & being Chinese & Stuff

I cannot fully condone nor dismiss the "Tiger Mom" method of parenting because it is not one that I have experienced myself. That doesn't mean I haven't formed many, many, opinions.

I have gone to school with many individuals of Asian ethnicity and I think it is safe to say that the majority of Asian students do exceedingly well in school as well as their extracurricular activities (which often are playing classical instruments such as the piano and violin). Honestly, I think the Tiger Mom method of parenting is one that is worth trying, it has been proven to be successful and has turned out many famous scholars and prodigies.  In an article by Amy Chua, the infamous "Tiger Mom" she states:

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 is a concept that is portrayed in the Joy Luck Club story "Rules of the Game" which is a story about a young girl who became a successful child chess prodigy. In the story the young girl tells the story of her mother and how she caused her to stop playing chess due to her nagging and taking credit for the successes of her daughter. I think this shows one of the failures of the very strict Eastern ways of teaching that are practiced by Chua and many other Chinese parents alike. It shows how a little girl can take interest in something and perfect it but with too much constant pushing and prodding can be turned away from it.

There are both peaks and pits of the "Tiger Mom" method of teaching and I believe that Amy Tan does not believe that it is wrong nor is it the optimal way to be parented.