Why Chinese Mothers are Superior

These are words from a Chinese mother in this fascinatng, albeit long, story in the Wall Street Journal:
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704111504576059713528698754.html?mod=WSJ_hp_mostpop_read

Apparently, her theory is Chinese parents berate their kids and force them to do things they don't want to do over and over until they're good at it, whereas Western parents are too busy worried about their kids' self-esteem and therefore churn out failures and losers. I'm not kidding. She says Asian parents assume their kids are strong and can stand the brutal treatment, but Westerners assume thier kids are fragile and tiptoe around speaking harshly or bluntly. Here's a sample-

"What Chinese parents understand is 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, which is why it is crucial to override their preferences. This often requires fortitude on the part of the parents because the child will resist; things are always hardest at the beginning, which is where Western parents tend to give up. But if done properly, the Chinese strategy produces a virtuous circle. Tenacious practice, practice, practice is crucial for excellence; rote repetition is underrated in America. Once a child starts to excel at something—whether it's math, piano, pitching or ballet—he or she gets praise, admiration and satisfaction. This builds confidence and makes the once not-fun activity fun. This in turn makes it easier for the parent to get the child to work even more."

Read and discuss.