Here's something to chew on...

Have you read it? You know, the article in the Wall Street Journal that everyone is talking about.

I stumbled upon it yesterday on my own, which is already a good sign, as I have been terribly removed from news sources outside of diapers.com. So then, my husband eagerly emailed it to me, curious how I would feel about it, I knew I had to read it as soon as I could.

And now I have.

And mostly, I am intrigued. I am intrigued because it is oh so very different from my own childhood experience, an experience with oh so many sleepovers, school plays and the occasional Mary Poppins marathon.And I am intrigued in the same way that I am intrigued by the Waldorf and Montessori schools of thought. I am intrigued because before me lies an unknown path of parenting that holds room for so much possibility. For I have learned something very important in the these first two years of motherhood and that is never to say never.

As for the article, I am put off by her use of the word superior and the extreme generalizations in which she speaks about both Western and Chinese mothers - leaving little room to find some profound and positive middle ground between two very different styles of parenting. But I am not as flabbergasted as I imagined I would be. I am more curious. Curious to know how the grown children of Chinese mothers feel. Curious how other Chinese mothers feel. Curious how Western fathers married to Chinese mothers feel. So curious, that I may just have to get the book.

I think one of the reasons I am more curious that caustic is that I have a deep respect for Eastern thought and practice. Through our travels and time in a Buddhist retreat, I have come to appreciate practice and discipline and truthfulness and commitment and determination in a way that my "follow your bliss" upbringing was not able to do. I was especially interested in these two statements Ms. Chua made:

1.They {Chinese parents }assume strength, not fragility {in their children}.
2. But as a parent, one of the worst things you can do for your child's self-esteem is to let them give up

So what does this all mean? Well, it means that I as soon as I finish the two books on my nightstand, I know what is next in line.

Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother by Amy Chua is available on Amazon