Why Chinese Mothers Are Superior

Sample Reaction Paper
Topic: “Why Chinese Mothers Are Superior” (Chua, Amy. Wall Street Journal. 08 Jan. 2011)

In her provocative essay “Why Chinese Mothers Are Superior,” Amy Chua—Yale Law School professor, author , and mother—argues that the strict and demanding parenting style used by most Chinese mothers is more effective in producing “stereotypically successful children,” including “math whizzes and music prodigies,” than the more relaxed and lenient parenting techniques favored by many Western parents. Chua supports her claim by contrasting the two parenting approaches and by sharing her experience as the child of strict Chinese parents and as a parent herself raising her two daughters, Lulu and Sophia. Chua’s purpose for writing this essay is to analyze why Chinese parents are so successful at raising dutiful, respectful, and accomplished children. Chua may be right that many Chinese “Tiger” parents raise “successful” children, but some of the parenting methods that she advocates border on child abuse.
Chua provides the reader with many colorful anecdotes about Chinese Tiger parenting, some of which are so alarming that they provoked a strong reaction from many readers, as evidenced by the many angry letters-to-the-editors that the Wall Street Journal received after her essay was published. One anecdote from Chua’s childhood illustrates how, unlike most western parents, Chinese parents are not “concerned about their children’s psyches.” Chua’s father called her “garbage” for being disrespectful to her mother. Many western parents might consider her father’s reprimand verbal abuse that could damage the child’s self esteem, but Chua strongly disagrees. In fact, she proudly shares how she harshly scolds and insults her own daughters, particularly her stubborn daughter Sophia. Chua says that “if a child comes home with an A-minus on a test…[t]he Chinese mother will gasp in horror and ask what went wrong…If a Chinese child comes home with a B—which would never happen—there would be a screaming, hair-tearing explosion.” She would not hesitate to class her child “worthless.” That “devastated” mother would work tirelessly with her child to bring the grade up to an A. Chua believes that Western parents worry too much about their children’s self esteem. Chinese mothers are not, so they have no problem telling their daughters, “Hey fatty—lose some weight.” However, do those harsh words encourage healthier eating habits, or do they lead to the daughter developing an eating disorder or self-loathing. Many psychologists think the latter.
Furthermore, Chua argues that Chinese Tiger parents understand 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….” Hence, Chinese parents endlessly battle with their child, making her practice the violin or piano, drilling math facts, and pressuring her to get top grades at school. To illustrate this rigid, restrictive, and regimented parenting philosophy, Chua shares a disturbing anecdote about her forcing her then seven-year-old daughter Lulu to practice an extremely difficult piano piece for several hours until she could play it perfectly. Chua prodded her daughter to master the piece by screaming at Lulu, threatening to throw away her beloved dollhouse, and prohibiting her from eating or even going to the bathroom. Chua’s “western” husband, Jed, told his wife “to stop insulting [and threatening] Lulu.” Chua retorted that she was “just motivating her.” Some readers may agree that Chua’s harsh, stringent parenting regimen is indeed “successful,” because Lulu eventually learned to play that difficult music piece, whereas many others may feel her methods border on child abuse. Most American (and European) psychologists and child-rearing experts would agree that Chua’s parenting methods are too harsh and are abusive. Parents should encourage and nurture their children not torment and threaten them.
Finally, Chua asserts that “Chinese parents believe that they know what is best for their children and therefore, override all of their children’s own desires and preferences.” At the beginning of her essay, Chua includes a list of activities her children were never allowed to do: “attend a sleepover, have a playdate, be in a school play,…, choose their own extracurricular activities, get any grade less than an A, not be the number 1 student in any class except gym or drama, play any instrument, other than the piano or violin, not play the piano or violin.” In other words, the children of Chinese Tiger parents are no allowed to develop or pursue any interests other than those dictated by their parents. Most children of Western parents, on the other hand, are allowed to participate in extracurricular activities, such as joining a sports team, being in a play, taking dance or art classes, or playing the guitar. Western parents may restrict their children’s extracurricular activities if their grades are slipping; however most parents believe that participation in these activities enriches their children’s school experience. In fact, college admissions officers consider not only the students’ grades but also their extracurricular activities. Undoubtedly, Chinese Tiger parents have been successful in producing “stereotypically successful” children who have excellent GPAs, but perhaps if more Tiger parents allowed their children to play sports, there would be no need to say “Hey fatty—you need to lose weight.” Children should be able to develop their own interests and to pursue their own dreams within reason. They should not be responsible for fulfilling their parents’ dreams.

Chua ends her provocative essay by acknowledging what a difficult job parenting is and how parents on both sides misunderstand and judge each other. Chua admits that “no matter what parenting philosophy they follow, “[a]ll decent parents want to do what is best for their children.” Nevertheless, parents should consider the effects that their actions and their words have on their children whatever their parenting approach may be. Verbal and physical abuse is never acceptable.

Work Cited
Chua, Amy. “Review — 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?” Wall Street Journal, Eastern edition. 08 Jan. 2011. ProQuest. Web. 16 Dec. 2014 .