Amy Chua

Amy Chua is a Chinese mother of two daughters who is well known for her book "The Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother". This book led to a huge national debate over "western parenting methods." Mrs. Chua protests that parents must override their childrens' desires in helping children succeed. Many of Chuas' critics oppose her parenting methods, while others agree with her. As with anything there are many positive and negative aspects to Chuas' strategy. Overriding a childs' desires prevents them from acquiring necessary skills learned through grouped activities. Although Amy Chua does not elaborate on the thought of group activities, she is clearly a firm believer of individual success. Mrs. Chua will not allow her daughters to attend a sleep over or participate in a school play. However, David Brooks argues that she is protecting and sheltering them from the most intellectually demanding activities. "Researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Carnegie Mellon have found that groups have high collective intelligence when members of a group are good at reading each others' emotions-when they take turns speaking, when the inputs from each member are managed fluidly, when they detect each others' inclinations and strengths." Working in groups is not as easy as it seems; it requires the skill to trust others outside of your comfortable friend zone, read and infer others emotions, and the capability to accumulate what each individual has to offer understand the pieces and figure out what can and cannot fit together. This technique is not taught but learned through our own individual experiences. With saying that I would have to say I agree with David Brooks. I do believe there are many skills formal learning just cannot teach you. In addition, overriding a childs' desires can result in an unhappy childhood. James Murphy claims that a happy childhood is not only measured by success but also by the gifts of happiness each child possess. He believes