Tiger Mother

First off I want to say thanks for all the comments on the last post. Man I was feeling the love.

Just so you know....

I think I'm in a really good place with me running. I'm happy with the progress I've made and I have gotten to the point where I feel good physically and mentally with my running. I know I'm not the slowest runner out there by no means but when I run with some of my friends, (ie Katie M, Katie S, Lauren F, Lauren B, Liz G) I feel humbled by their amazing skillz. Make sense?

Also, most days I truly love being a mom and spending time with my lovey Charlotte. However I do have days that are hard and I think to myself that I'm not cut out for this stuff, and I can never imagine having more than one child. That said, the good days are much, much more often than the bad days and yes I will have more than one child, just not anytime soon. One of the goals of my blog is to keep things real and how they actually are. I'm not perfect, (although I really struggle with this and wish I was!) and I think we as women, mothers, friends, sisters can find strength in each other knowing we have similar feelings, experiences and situations. Make sense?

OK now onto the real reason I wanted to post in the first place. Has anyone read this book? I'm dying to talk to someone about it! I want to know your thoughts and feelings. If you haven't read it will you please pick it up and give it a try. It's a quick read, I promise, and it will hold your attention.

Here's a quick synopsis of the book:

From Publishers Weekly

Chua (Day of Empire) imparts the secret behind the stereotypical Asian child's phenomenal success: the Chinese mother. Chua promotes what has traditionally worked very well in raising children: strict, Old World, uncompromising values--and the parents don't have to be Chinese. What they are, however, are different from what she sees as indulgent and permissive Western parents: stressing academic performance above all, never accepting a mediocre grade, insisting on drilling and practice, and instilling respect for authority. Chua and her Jewish husband (both are professors at Yale Law) raised two girls, and her account of their formative years achieving amazing success in school and music performance proves both a model and a cautionary tale. Sophia, the eldest, was dutiful and diligent, leapfrogging over her peers in academics and as a Suzuki piano student; Lulu was also gifted, but defiant, who excelled at the violin but eventually balked at her mother's pushing. Chua's efforts "not to raise a soft, entitled child" will strike American readers as a little scary--removing her children from school for extra practice, public shaming and insults, equating Western parenting with failure--but the results, she claims somewhat glibly in this frank, unapologetic report card, "were hard to quarrel with." (Jan.)

(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.

I have such mixed feelings on this book. In some ways I totally agree with her thoughts and ideals and in other ways I'm completely horrified by how she treats her children.

Some food for thought:

Page 62, "Western parents worry a lot about their children's self esteem. But as a parent, one of the worst things you can do for your child's self-esteem is to let them give up. On the flip side, there's nothing better for building confidence than learning you can do something you thought you couldn't"

Page 63, "Western parents try to respect their children's individuality, encouraging them to pursue their true passions, supporting their choices, and providing positive reinforcement and a nurturing environment. By contrast, the Chinese believe that the best way to protect their children is by preparing them for the future, letting them see what they're capable of and arming them with skills, work habits and inner confidence that no one can ever take away."

Page 193, Inferring to her oldest daughter having the most responsibility, having to be counted on for everything, the one no one should have to worry about she says, "The problem is that Western culture doesn't see it that way. In Disney movies, the 'good daughter' always has to have a breakdown and realize that life is not all about following the rules and winning prizes, and then take off her clothes and run into the ocean or something like that. But that's just Disney's way of appealing to all the people who never win any prizes. Winning prizes gives you opportunities, and that's freedom-not running into the ocean."

Oh there is so much more I could put. Just pick it up, read it yourself and then lets talk.

PS Anyone finish Kristin Armstrong's book yet? I feel like the good old second grade teacher Mrs. Walker coming out assigning all these books to read and then wanting to discuss it!