Why Chinese Mothers are Superior

We may earn a small commission from affiliate links and paid advertisements. Terms

Cashizslick

!i!i!i!i!i!i!i!i!i!i!i!
Why Chinese Mothers Are Superior - WSJ.com

Posted a snippet of the article below, very interesting. No wonder America is falling behind.

Why Chinese Mothers Are Superior
Can a regimen of no playdates, no TV, no computer games and hours of music practice create happy kids? And what happens when they fight back?
By AMY CHUA

A lot of people wonder how Chinese parents raise such stereotypically successful kids. They wonder what these parents do to produce so many math whizzes and music prodigies, what it's like inside the family, and whether they could do it too. Well, I can tell them, because I've done it. Here are some things my daughters, Sophia and Louisa, were never allowed to do:

• attend a sleepover

• have a playdate

• be in a school play

• complain about not being in a school play

• watch TV or play computer games

• choose their own extracurricular activities

• get any grade less than an A

• not be the No. 1 student in every subject except gym and drama

• play any instrument other than the piano or violin

• not play the piano or violin.

I'm using the term "Chinese mother" loosely. I know some Korean, Indian, Jamaican, Irish and Ghanaian parents who qualify too. Conversely, I know some mothers of Chinese heritage, almost always born in the West, who are not Chinese mothers, by choice or otherwise. I'm also using the term "Western parents" loosely. Western parents come in all varieties.

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.

When it comes to parenting, the Chinese seem to produce children who display academic excellence, musical mastery and professional success - or so the stereotype goes. WSJ's Christina Tsuei speaks to two moms raised by Chinese immigrants who share what it was like growing up and how they hope to raise their children.

Despite our squeamishness about cultural stereotypes, there are tons of studies out there showing marked and quantifiable differences between Chinese and Westerners when it comes to parenting. In one study of 50 Western American mothers and 48 Chinese immigrant mothers, almost 70% of the Western mothers said either that "stressing academic success is not good for children" or that "parents need to foster the idea that learning is fun." By contrast, roughly 0% of the Chinese mothers felt the same way. Instead, the vast majority of the Chinese mothers said that they believe their children can be "the best" students, that "academic achievement reflects successful parenting," and that if children did not excel at school then there was "a problem" and parents "were not doing their job." Other studies indicate that compared to Western parents, Chinese parents spend approximately 10 times as long every day drilling academic activities with their children. By contrast, Western kids are more likely to participate in sports teams.......
 
That's pretty inaccurate; I know plenty of "prodigy's" that do plays, go to sleepovers(though usually with other smart kids), watch TV, etc. Their parents are still strict, but not at the level of this mom.
 
Last edited:
That's pretty inaccurate; I know plenty of "prodigy's" that do plays, go to sleepovers(though usually with other smart kids), watch TV, etc. Their parents are still strict, but not at the level of this mom.

My piano teacher called me a prodigy with piano since I could play since the first time I touched a piano. She wanted me to go to the peabody institute when I was around 11 or 12.

I didn't do shit growing up. Did pretty much whatever I wanted.

Some people are born with talent and gifts that you CANNOT teach.

Some people can sing with no lessons some people can paint from the time of being a little kid.

Best example of people who are damn near prodigys with no background. Look at some of the better tattoo artist out there and what they can do with nothing more then hanging with friends.

Most people that come over here from China grew up with a do or die type of background, growing up in the US, we're allowed to slack off and nothing happens. A lot of Chinese have to grow/raise their own foods, or work trades in order to swap for food. There's not a lot of, meh I don't feel like doing it today.... it just doesn't happen. Just like America 100 years ago....... By coming here they already have a big 1 up over the lazy ass people in this country.
 
I saw this the other day. It's a good Article. I'm sure it was shocking as hell to a lot of white people. Americans believe kids need "fun". Fun is more fun when you are older and value your time, money, and effort.
 
I saw this the other day. It's a good Article. I'm sure it was shocking as hell to a lot of white people. Americans believe kids need "fun". Fun is more fun when you are older and value your time, money, and effort.

I agree with this 110%. I wish I was made to bust my ass when I was a kid. Now I'm busting my ass fulltime at school and working 40 hours a week. If I wouldn't have fucked off so much when I was younger I'd have less than two years of school left for a bachelors and be finished around 22. Now I won't be done until I'm 24 if not 25 or 26. Any little fun I have now is appreciated way more than when I wasn't working and was half assing at school.
 
I played the piano and hockey growing up, however it was acceptable that I sucked at both since the likelihood of anyone doing either of those professionally is slim.

MMA was the only thing I was really good at, but that took 7 years of hard ass work 4 days per week, however college seemed like a better alternative to more broken noses/toes/fingers/etc.
 
I agree with this 110%. I wish I was made to bust my ass when I was a kid. Now I'm busting my ass fulltime at school and working 40 hours a week. If I wouldn't have fucked off so much when I was younger I'd have less than two years of school left for a bachelors and be finished around 22. Now I won't be done until I'm 24 if not 25 or 26. Any little fun I have now is appreciated way more than when I wasn't working and was half assing at school.

Take summer classes. Take 20 credits. Sounds like you put yourself in a box and use the excuse of your time line as I was lazy or my past shortcomings held me to here.


let me tell you what. I was real lazy. The laziest was when I was in college. And 4 years was a breeze while working fulltime. It was how I used my laziness that counted. Shit if I knew my major I would have been done in 3 years but I had a fuck up year.




If you ain't cheating, you ain't trying.
 
From pre-k to 11th grade, I was always at the top of my class. I played trumpet, and was first chair more often than not. I did go to a small school however. And, my parents really didn't force me to do anything. I graduated early from high school, and took ap classes at high school while taking english 1301 & 1302 and college algebra at a community college.

However, where I was severely lacking was in social situations. Once I went off to college, I was in over my head and began experiencing great anxiety. If I had learned better social skills, I would have graduated with a BSME 3 years ago. Instead, I've still got another 2 years to go.

Academic achievement is important, but so is social prowess.
 
Back
Top