Interesting review of this new book, Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother, on Fresh Air last night. It pushes back on the RTN themes -- rather than arguing that we're pushing our kids to hard, Amy Chua purportedly (I haven't read the book) argues that harsh (my word) discipline and super hard work are both the gateways to opportunity and to "flow", both of which in turn lead to true freedom. It is refreshing to hear a different point of view, yet I can't help but wish to find a way to pull the threads together. Can't we treat children as full people, treat then with compassion and empathy AND encourage the kind of hard work and discipline that do lead us to happiness?
WSJ excerpt here
Edit to add a link to a review by MojoMom, one of my favorite mothering blogs... she actually read the book and it sounds more literally harsh than my interpretation.
