Living in a Chinese Bowl

CYNTHIA LUONG
Staff Writer
Many people have criticized Amy Chua, an author and professor at Yale Law School, for her memoir, Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother: Confessions of An Ex-Tiger Cub. In her book, the Asian mother blatantly states: “Chinese parents believe they know what is best for their children and therefore override all their children’s own desires and preferences.”
However, being a mom does not mean that she can completely plan out her youngsters’ futures. Everyone is born with their own minds, entitled to their own thoughts—they possess the ability to choose what they want to do. By being able to make their own decisions, they can find their passions which will develop them into individuals who can think for themselves.
Chua offers many approaches to parenting, yet many of her resolutions are extremely harsh. For example, to many parents, calling a child “trash,” is unthinkable because it will lower self-esteem, but Chua does it anyway, not caring about her child’s feelings. As a result of too much stress, perhaps from this parenting style, suicide tends to be the third leading cause of death among Asian American girls aged 15-24.
Since this “superior” Chinese mom believes that “nothing is fun until you’re good at it,” she forced many activities and strict rules upon her children. While this method of parenting worked for her, it may not be so for others. A true parent is one that offers unconditional and sacrificial love to their children, but at the same time nurture and reinforce their kids’ behavior.