Battle Hymn of...well...me!

I have recently read a book called "Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother" which is one mother's views on Chinese parenting styles compared to those of "Western" mothers.  It was a very interesting read, and I have to say it has made me tweak my parenting style a little.  There were parts of the book that shocked me to the core and had me hoping someone called social services on behalf of her two daughters.  Other parts had me laughing so hard I actually cried (something along the lines of "If you don't practice the violin, I am going to burn all of your soft toys!)

I'm so pleased with the children and how they behave (most of the time!) and I am really enjoying spending time with them over the summer holiday, and without sounding big headed, the reason the children are so well behaved is because of the way Lewis and I do parenting!  Now I'm not saying that we are experts, nor I am saying that there isn't a fair amount of good DNA and "sheer dumb luck" (said in a Professor McGonagall accent) involved in our parenting (thus far) success.

I do have high expectations though and, like anything I agree to take on in life, I put my heart and soul into parenting (which also means that from time to time I crash and burn with exhaustion) and I am constantly observing, reading and tweaking how I raise my children.  This book gave me some more ideas on how to help my children.  I have every respect for the author, Amy Chua, who is so driven to ensure that her children not only succeed, but excel in everything they do.  It made me realise how lax I have been in teaching my children to play musical instruments, and I have now become more determined to make sure they practice daily - though perhaps not for 90 minutes and definitely not after 7pm!  It also made me feel less guilty about pushing my children, because I consider it good preparation for the working world they will enter, which appears to get more cut throat on a daily basis.  I have informed Caitlin that she may well cry every time we sit down to work on her times tables, but we will work on them until I am happy and that crying is wasting her time and mine -sounds harsh, made me feel horrible, but we have already saved, time, effort and a whole load of tissue paper since I adopted this attitude!
I also disagree with Amy Chua, because children do need fun, or they will crash and burn just like her daughter did, and like so many of the children at Caistor Grammar School did.  Pressure helps children to progress, but apply too much and they crumple or rebel.

And just for the record I am also keeping the TV, because I am not able to access the limitless amounts of energy that Mrs Chua is!

I am also grateful to have a husband who compliments and balances me perfectly, he is just a star!