When EW reviewed Amy Chua’s Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother, we wrote that we thought there might be some, um, spirited debate. Read the full post.
Jan 10
2011
02:50 PM ET
You be the judge: Is 'Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother' author Amy Chua a great mom? or a terrible one?
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This kind of parenting doesnt allow the child to express one self and to be there own person. Its sad to see this abusive treatment to just get that A or gold metal. There is more to life than that.
I would like to Quote what Joy Behar said on the view, I think she said” they will be the smartest ones in therapy” LOL
How is this different than the parents who pushes theirs kids to excel in sports, and wanting their sons and daughters to be super stars on the fields? The methods here and there may have some rough edges, but all parents have moments they may regret their words and action. They just don’t write a book about it. Why so much criticism toward something that occurs in many families, be they “Chinese” or “Western.”
I think the difference is that while a lot of parents say hurtful words and later regret about it, Chua doesn’t seem to regret a bit and probably even secretly believe what she has done and said was just the right way to handle things.
i’m the wimp father in her book. i was raised in california in a traditional chinese family, and my parents never expected anything out of me other than “do your best”, well i did ok and married a wonderful chinese girl.
our son is now 7 and his mom is a genuine “tiger mom”, who not only expects top grades from his 1st grade (he joined 2nd grade classmates at the beginning of the school year), but also in his special english, chinese, and drawing classes. at first i didn’t agree, but my son seems totally ok with it and his reward for getting straight A’s and first place? two hours on the wii on sundays! lol, maybe i coulda amounted to more if my parents had pushed me harder when i was young?
This…’Tiger Mom’ *shudder* says no video games. Thus, according to her code of parenting, you and your wife are ‘pampering’ your child by rewarding him with Wii time.
This chinese mother is completely correct. Americans have been pampering their lazy children for too long and then we wonder why we are 35th in the world in math and science. Accomplishment creates self esteem in an individual. This is why boot camp and the military are so effective in giving troubled children direction in life. Lets stop drugging our children with prozac and adderall and give them a little tough love to help them become better adults.
i am not a parent myself. i am only 18. but i do understand chua’s perspective about raising a child. in fact, i have been living with a dad of such a kind. and for the painful words he uttered and harsh treatment he gave, i know it’s for the betterment of my life, in the future. i may not have understood it then, but i do now.
upon answering the question….
i would say that she is a great mom.
You poor, twisted soul.
I shall pray for you.
I am also Chinese and it’s true that Chinese is all about excelling in everything. But I completely disagree with her parenting method. No further comments, I think the article says it all. Only 2 things I want to mention:
1. How could she be a Yale Professor?
2. This woman is one crazy bit*h
I am a child and I have a freind who is asian and honestly, her mother is a bit like that but nowhere near that extreme, did she even say to her kids “I love you”? I know if my mom treated me like that, I’d have probably run away or call child services, I mean honestly I sort of think thats abuse, but yet again I’m not a mom, and does she talk about her relationship with her kids now? I kind of want to read the book, but there is NO WAY that I am going to support someone who treated her kids like that. I mean my mom isn’t like that and I am on Honor Roll at my school, and not to mention I’m not a total for lack of a better word, “dork”,I do think people can be a bit harsh on “western mothers” just because a couple might have raised a “bad” or “lazy” kid so thank you for listening. I hope I haven’t said anything offensive.
As a teenage girl I can’t imagine what I’d have done if my mother had ever scribbled on a card I’d made for her and told me that it wasn’t good enough for her, that she rejected it. I would have felt so awfully alone and unloved, and I would have lost so much respect and love for my mother. This is just cruel, awful, and demeaning. I’d be surprised if her children don’t excommunicate her at some point. My parents have raised me very liberally and freely and I like to think that they’ve done a good job. I have a 96 average in all honors classes in school and I go to a prestigious music, art, and performing arts school in New York- I think that’s both academic AND creative, and my parents have never thrown something I made back into my face or criticized me harshly when I was in pain. Also, her criticism of Western parental methods is unfair. I come from a completely caucasian, eastern european background and my grades are as good as those of my chinese friends on average. This women is cruel and the things she has done to her children are outrageous- I’m very glad that I’m not related to her in any way.
The woman who wrote this book is either psychotic or a fraud.
I can’t imagine treating ANYONE the way this woman claims to have treated her own daughters.
I am child-free, and have no real love for children, but the provided excerpts of this…book…made me physically nauseous.
Horrible, horrible woman. If she were standing before me I would spit at her feet.
I am a child muself and am loosly divided on the subject at the moment. It is a known fact that Western parents are slightly more attuned to creativity and are more likely to become friends with their kids than Eastern parents. My parents constantly promote and encourage my sister and I being social and giving back to te community. Yet of course, my parents are constantly pushing my sibling and I to achieve academic excellence. I am a straight A+ student and am persistently attempting to learn and undertsand new things. This mom, in my opinion does not truly understand the concept of being intelligent and showing a special conection with her children which is saddening. She is too strict and prevents the numerous outlets of learning and empathy to enter her children’s brains.
That sort of behavior isn’t Chinese. She’s a sick, twisted, status seeking, social climbing, “making up for my own failures and imperfections through my children” piece of garbage. Thank you.
I was a teacher at Diamond Bar High School, and I also taught at Mira Loma High for two years. I am also a parent myself, and I certainly think that Amy Chua is right in everything; my parenting style closely resembles her, with a few exceptions. For example, I rejected a present that someone else gave to me because he was an unpleasant jerk in class, and I made my students cry frequently, especially in my orchestra classes. However, the few students I like were really exceptional, and had the qualifications. Amy Chua, you have done the right thing. Keep it up!
I usually love Asian books. After the first 10 pages, I threw the book away. I wish I could get a refund. This woman doesn’t deserve to reside in America. She needs to go back to her country. Children are not robots. They deserve to be happy and live life to its fullest. I am proud to be an American and raise my sons the American way!