I stumbled upon an article today that was nothing short of fascinating. The article is Why Chinese Mothers Are Superior over at the Wall Street Journal. Amy Chua, the author of the article, isn't actually claiming to be superior to Western parents (at least I don't think she is), but she raises some interesting talking point.

Before you read it, I will warn you that the article is one stereotype after another. If you can get past that, then it is a really interesting read. She compares the Western style of parenting (nurturing, self-esteem, self-discovery) to the Eastern style of parenting (challenging, demanding, guiding). In one of the more eye-catching sections, she states,

"If a Chinese child gets a B—which would never happen—there would first be a screaming, hair-tearing explosion. The devastated Chinese mother would then get dozens, maybe hundreds of practice tests and work through them with her child for as long as it takes to get the grade up to an A."

Wow. No wonder there are so many Chinese outliers.

It's a fascinating read that I highly recommend. In my opinion, neither method of parenting is perfect. Many parents are way too easy on their kids while others are way too hard on them. Like most things in life, the right answer is somewhere in between.