Amy Chua writes her opinion of the way Chinese and Western parents conduct their children in this piece. She lists things that her Chinese child is not allowed to do, like have playdates, watch television, and not receive A’s. “Seventy percent of the Western Mothers said either that “stressing academic success is not good for children.” (26) In this quote Amy is proving how different the ideas are of both sets of parents because she disagrees strongly with this Western belief. Amy compares the parenting skills of both sets of parents throughout this article.
Amy tells of the difference in the judgement in both homes. “When I was extremely disrespectful to my mother, my father angrily called me garbage. It worked really well, I felt terrible and deeply ashamed, but it did not damage my self-esteem.”(45) Amy tells of how the self-esteem of her child is not broken by words or judgement but that her words push her daughter to work harder. In American homes saying judgmental things to children is forbidden and when used the child ends up with a negative self-image.
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She states that Western parents are very anxious about their child’s self-esteem in school. Amy says that in the Chinese culture, if a grade isn't an A+ parents assume their child did not work to their potential. Her second point is that Chinese parents believe that their child owe them everything because of the sacrifices they make, while Western parents think the opposite. Chua’s third point states that Chinese parents know what is best for their child, this is why they do not let them choose their activities. Amy then tells of how she pushes her own daughter through her defiance to success with the Chinese parenting skills she has