A girlfriend recently directed me to a really interesting article that took a humorous look at the differences between traditional Chinese parenting and typical Western parenting.
I let my kids watch tv. I'm not big on sleepovers, but my daughter has had them, with family. I would be thrilled if my kids were in a play or any performance really. My kids will probably participate in sports (hello, have you met my husband). I don't think learning is always supposed to be "fun," but I think it should be for little kids. I think playing and games present plenty of opportunity for learning. I also don't worry about my daughter's self esteem when we're working on something. I try to make sure my expectations are within her capabilities, so I don't think a little self disappointment is a bad thing. I don't think I'd call her garbage though LOL.
My approach is pretty far from a "Chinese Mom," but the article did remind me that I want my children to be family and academically oriented. Social stuff is peripheral, though this will probably be an area of compromise between my husband and me.
i totally read this last night! i thought there were some good points, but i don't think i could ever call my kids garbage and feel like i was encouraging them.
ReplyDeleteExactly. If my kid got a bad grade could say "quit being lazy and underachieving." I couldn't say, "you're a piece of crap." Hopefully, this doesn't mean my kids won't be good at math :D
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