Why are Chinese Parents Superior

[Corvus of the Black Night]

Holy -- I don't even want to know.

*ignores the mini flame war above*

You forgot the part where they tell their children that the Japanese are the bane of the world and should be eradicated. Oh wait, that's just a few Chinese parents...

*cough*

What's funny is that that sounds a lot like my parents, and I'm about as English as an American people come genetically.

I guess parenting styles over here are influenced less by the culture, and more by the personalities of the parents. My parents are definitely not what I would call "normal-natured" parents - indeed, their relationship with each other was first to their relationship to me and my sister. There's a lot of parents that just piss me off horribly by how stupid they are and how oblivious they are to what little shits their kids are. It's absolutely infuriating because I know that when we all grow up and start having our own children, it's just gonna be ten times worse...

In reality I think that the reason why we tend to get parents over here raising their children in a passive and oblivious manner is because it's often pressured that the child is the most wonderful thing in the world, and that your life's only purpose is the child - and while a child is an extremely important personal relationship with its parent, both physically and emotionally - that child is not the reason why you exist. Once that child leaves you, you'll still have at least a good 30 years to live, if not more. If your life is focused only on that child and that child only, your life loses meaning after that child leaves your house to live on his own.

 

[Hassan_Abdillah]

Two things people tend to take for granted and (consequently) waste: health and free time.

 

[Azureth]

I am a firm believer of "spare the rod spoil the child". I think tough love needs to be enforced, albeit letting the child know what they did wrong.

I talked to a Vietnamese girl that told me her parents would make her stand facing a wall and hit her with a belt or something.

I hate how in the west, we have a "everyone is a winner" attitude, so when our kids do face difficulties they are unprepared. I remember an article about how this kids team couldn't get more than X number of points ahead.

Children NEED to know they will fail a lot and life but how to pick themselves up and move on.

 

[OmegaRuby and AlphaSapphire]

I think I'll use a mix of Western and Eastern parenting skills when I have kids. I thinks kids should be taught some discipline while at the same time give them some freedom to prevent them from being "Social out casts" though I guess I am one myself but that was my own decision...
I feel like parental freedom is like drinking water but just like with drinking water they will become victims of their own freedom if they have too much.

 

[geox123]

Pressure comes to mind when I think of a word to describe things like this. But it isn't exactly pressure, is it? I mean, I'm still a student myself, and I have a great sense of pressure from my parents to do well. Still, though, I manage to find myself slacking off more than a Slaking. (Still getting A's, but barely :D).

I think this is more of a discipline thing. The reason my parents failed to give me any sort of work ethic is because they reward too much and punish very little. I am not sure how common a parenting philosophy among the current generation of parents, but at least in my hometown, this is very much the case, I assume.

Then again, I don't know much about the average nature of Chinese parenting. I believe that not all Chinese parents are like that, though. It wouldn't explain why so many Chinese families are poor.

 

[Yukimi]

Helping your child lose weight is appropriate, calling them "fatty" is just rude. She seems to be under the assumption that western parents are unable to belittle their children. That's simply untrue, most people just realize calling their child "garbage" is damaging and in no way beneficial.

I laughed pretty hard at the piano part. Don't get me wrong, I feel horrible for the child, but the mother's mentality was nothing short of a comedic goldmine. What exactly is the point of sinking so many hours into learning to play an instrument the child may not even like? Are they going to become a famous piano player? Probably not, especially after you torture them with it!

I started playing bass when I was 13. I wasn't forced into it, I just loved music and wanted to play. I've played every day since then and have also picked up ukulele and mandolin. Music is an excellent hobby, but that's just it...a hobby. There's no reason to force your child into it, especially if they have no interest in the first place.

School plays are not only pointless, but also time-consuming, distracting, humiliating, and a huge source of bad influence for kids.

I'm going to have to strongly disagree with you on this point.
Theatre is extremely educational. Nearly all plays are written to teach people something, or, at the very least, examine the world around them.

Humiliating? I don't know about that. You may be humiliated on stage, but most artists are proud of their work.

The cast of a show bonds like a family. They work together for long hours and develop very, very deep friendships. A bunch of kids working on a show together is far from a bad influence no matter how incredible your imagination is.

I can't help but wonder why this artform is such a terrible, terrible waste of time, but becoming a master of an instrument you don't like isn't.


My parents never made me feel like I owed them. My house was always filled with love and support, that was the most important thing to my family. They taught me morals and pushed me in the right direction, and I'll do the same for my children.
They are living beings, not slaves. They shouldn't feel like they owe you anything. What a cold, self righteous ideology.

 

[Black Ice]

I don't see anything wrong with putting academic success over pretty much everything else for kids, as long as the parent doesn't completely abandon humaneness for the kid. Higher chance of success later in life, possibly leading to happiness. I dunno, something like that. I don't see what's so great about having some great teen years and then later working your ass off for minimum wage or something sad.

Also, with the instrument thing...all little kids hate learning everything, with few exceptions. I hated playing the piano when I was 6 or 7, but now I love it and I can't imagine my life without a piano. Several other people I know who play the piano were the same way. You shouldn't just stop teaching a little kid something just because he/she doesn't like it. I'm sure the several-hours-a-day thing was exaggerated for comedic effect. If it wasn't, then yeah that is pretty terrible. But still, giving up on your kid because he/she doesn't initially like something is just stupid. It's also better to get through the initial stages of learning an instrument during the early years. I think it's a lot harder to learn an instrument when you're older, and being inferior to everyone else at your age probably plays some factor in that. If you're 37 and feel like picking up the piano or guitar or whatever, you are probably going to put yourself down because an 8 year old can play better than you.

 

[Azonic]

I guess you can say I grew up in one of these "Chinese parent" households. *barf* So annoying.

So much emphasis on grades that I don't even give a poop about academics anymore. I'm more art than sports or facts, and ultimately that's what I want to be doing with my life. Feels like the only thing my parents care about is getting straight As, otherwise it's the end of the world. :/ Truth is I don't want to be another financial business crap genius in an office making millions, I'd rather do something I enjoy. Parents just want me to be an academic prodigy ending up with tons of money going to the best college knowing piano as an instrument just like every other person. @_@

Tbh I love piano though. lol

This article is so true for my parents. I feel like I'm their slave and I have to be and do whatever they want and my own thoughts don't even matter. Kinda sucks. ~_~ Which is why when I turn 18... bye mom + dad! :)))

This is simply ridiculous. Lady Gaga is incredibly temporary, and that is true because she was made in a society that is terribly corrupted, and she represents this society perfectly. It is not the popularity that makes Lady Gaga terrible, it is the content and quality of her songs.

OH NO YOU DID NOT JUST GO THERE.

By the way, you have no right to dictate whether an artist is temporary or not. Like really... + Lady Gaga along with many many other artists have mixed a deep and intricate artistic side into their music and image. It's just unorthodox but it is very artistic (I could go on and on about this because I have so much to say about this because Lady Gaga is just *melt* but I won't) /littlemonster4evur

I hate chinese parenting. When I get kids I'm gonna expose them to a ton of stuff and ultimately follow through with what they truly would like to do. Gonna balance parenting with the child's interests. After all, I need to give them a personality too, instead of just a brain.