The writer is supportive of using drastic measures to raise children, because she believes that the Chinese parenting

style is more superior to the Westerners. She states that the reasons behind Chinese parents grooming talents are the tenacious practices, coercion, intimidation and insults. On the other hand, she dismisses the western way of parenting, where parents consistently fret about the childrens self-esteem. While I appreciate the fortitude required by the parents and concede that compulsion and intensive practices should be enforced in a childs learning process, I disagree that the Chinese parenting style is better and that parents should always take on this approach. The writer cited an example of Chinese-style parenting whereby a girl called Lulu attains success after enduring harsh tactics that her mother thought of as evidence that harsh upbringing on the part of the parents is crucial. Lulu was being threatened with no lunch, no dinner, no Christmas presents, no birthday presents and no birthday parties. She was even forbidden to drink water and to visit the bathroom. The problem with this viewpoint is that the writer assumes that all children will certainly benefit from intimidations. This may not be the case for the other children since different children have different learning styles and abilities. After all, everyone is unique in their own ways. Thus, the writer should not have made hasty generalisation just because Lulu and her daughters benefitted from this parenting style. Also, for the more rebellious and problematic children, this parenting style may harm them since they may fail to understand the underlying reason behind the chiding and threatening. As a result, they may search for ways to turn against their parents, leading to more harm than good. Thus, I feel that parents should not take on the one-size-fits-all approach to parenting, and merely adopt a certain parenting style from the various cultures. Instead, as parents, they should uncover the childrens personalities and capabilities. From there, parents with an open mind, come up with a more suitable or a better parenting method, which will effectively benefit the children. While it is a valid point that practice is crucial for excellence, it is an illogical assumption that rote repetition and tenacious practices will definitely bring forth success. The number of practices one has gone through does not inevitably affect a persons success rate. Practice and success are two separate matters that are mutually exclusive. Whether or not one is successful cannot be based solely on practices, as there are many other determinative factors. Additionally, children, who are subjected to countless and pertinacious practices, may be burdened with redundant pressure. This may lead to increasing aversion to education, sowing discord between parents and children, and even putting ones physical and psychological health at risk. Conversely, practice is still considered essential since practice makes perfect. Therefore, I feel that parents should strike a balance between practice (work) and play. As such, the practices that the children sit for will then be effective. With this, reaching the success mark will be more manageable. I do acknowledge that coercion is essential for the upbringing of the children. However, I feel that one should not go to the extreme by prioritizing the Chinese method before the Western one. Neither is superior. Instead, it will be better if the strength of the both were to be combined together as a healthy balance of both is ideal for the childrens success.