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月8日，《华尔街日报》书评版刊登了蔡美儿（Amy Chua）新书《虎妈妈的战歌》（Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother）的部分节选。这篇名为《为什么中国妈妈比美国妈妈好？》（Why Chinese Mothers Are Superior）的文章引起了极大的关注，在《华尔街日报》英文网和Facebook上分别获得4,000多条和约10万条的评论。《华尔街日报》读者向网络版思想集市博客板块提了很多问题，以下是蔡美儿对部分问题的回答：你认为严格的"东方式"家庭教育最终能帮助孩子成人后获得幸福生活吗？
Erin Patrice O'Brien for The Wall Street Journal
蔡美儿（Amy Chua）和她的两个女儿索菲亚(Sophia)和路易莎(Louisa)。
我的孩子20个月大，我和我丈夫都很喜欢这篇文章。孩子处于幼儿时期你是怎么教育的？
我们的女儿在蹒跚学步的时候，事实上我们并没有多么不同的做法，也许跟你做的一样：跟她们一起看图画书，带她们出去散步、去游乐场，跟她们猜谜语，唱ABC字母歌和数字歌，最重要的是要依偎和拥抱！我所做的唯一不同的事可能是我总是保证有一个每天对着她们讲中文普通话的保姆或学生，每天至少四到五个小时，周末也不例外，因为我想让我的女儿能懂两种语言。（我想让女儿从母语是普通话的人那里学习，因为我自己的中文方言是福建话，我的普通话有很重的口音。）
你的方法也许适于用天生高智商的孩子，但要求智商没那么高的孩子也达到这种优秀程度似乎很不公平，也很徒劳。我们能做到的最佳选择是要求孩子努力进取，是不是这样？你怎么看？
撇开优等分和金牌的玩笑不谈，（我的书相当一部分内容是半开玩笑半挖苦自己的），我不认为分数或成就是中国式家庭教育（至少以我的实践经验来看）的真正本质。我认为中国式家庭教育是帮助你的孩子达到力所能及的最好──通常都比他们自己想象的要好！中国式教育是比任何人都相信你的孩子──甚至比他们自己还有信心。这个原则适用于任何孩子，无论孩子的能力如何。我最小的妹妹辛迪（Cindy）患有唐氏综合症，我记得母亲陪着她好几个小时的时间，教她自己系鞋带，跟她练习乘法表，每天和她一起练钢琴。没人期待辛迪能拿博士学位！但我母亲想让她在能在力所能及范围内做到最好。如今，我妹妹在沃尔玛工作，有男朋友，仍在练钢琴，她最喜欢做的事是为朋友们表演弹钢琴。她和我母亲关系很好，我们都爱她。
蔡女士，你是一个快乐的成年人吗？你觉得你的童年快乐吗？还记得你和父母一起哈哈大笑吗？你希望自己当时能学芭蕾舞或参加高中音乐剧表演吗？
我是被极其严格同时也十分慈爱的中国移民父母抚养长大的，我有着最美好的童年！我记得我经常和父母一起大笑，我父亲是个好玩的人，有很强的幽默感。我当然希望他们当时允许我做更多事情！记得我经常会想，"我去参加个学校舞会到底有什么大不了的"，或者"为什么我不能参加学校的滑雪旅行？"。但另一方面，我和家人在一起度过了快乐的时光（即使到今天，和父母以及妹妹们一起度假仍然是我最喜欢的事情之一。）就像我在书里写的，"当朋友们听说了我儿时的故事，他们经常会想象我的童年很痛苦。其实根本不是这样；在这个奇特的家庭里我找到了力量和信心。我们共同以外来者的身份开始奋斗，我们一起发现了美国，慢慢成为美国人。我记得，父亲每晚都工作到凌晨三点，他太投入了，甚至都没注意到我们进房间。但我也记得，他向我们幸福地介绍墨西哥煎玉米粉卷、sloppy joes牛肉汉堡、冰雪皇后（Dairy Queen）和让人吃到饱的自助餐，更不用说乘雪橇、滑雪、捉螃蟹和宿营了。我记得上小学的时候，一个男生斜眼瞟我，边模仿我英文单词restaurant的发音边哈哈大笑。当时我就发誓要改掉我的中国口音。但我也记得女童子军和呼啦圈，诗歌比赛和公共图书馆，在美国革命女儿会（Daughters of the American Revolution）的写作比赛中获奖，以及我父母入美国籍的日子，那是荣耀的、历史性的一天。"
是的，我是一个快乐的成年人。我绝对是典型的事事追求完美的人，总是风风火火，想做的太多，不习惯乖乖地躺在沙滩上。但我对拥有的一切充满感激：非常支持我的父母和姐妹，世上最好的丈夫，让我乐于讲课和课后交往的优秀学生，还有最重要的，两个很棒的女儿。
现在你和女儿们的关系如何？
我和女儿们的关系很好，即使拿全世界来换我都不愿意。当然，我犯过错，也后悔过，我的书是一个母亲的成长故事，开头的那个人，也就是《华尔街日报》节选部分中的那个人，和这本书结尾的那个人不完全一样。简言之，我得到了应有的报应；书中相当部分讲的是我决定放弃（但并不是完全放弃）那种严格的移民教育模式。话虽如此，但要让我重来一遍的话，我基本还是会那样做，稍做些调整。我并不是说这对所有人都适用，我也并不是说这种方式更好。但我为我的女儿感到骄傲。并不仅仅因为她们在学校的表现很好；而是因为她们俩都善良、宽容、独立而且个性很强。最重要的是，我觉得我和她们都很亲密。我希望永远都能这样。
（本文版权归道琼斯公司所有，未经许可不得翻译或转载。）
On Saturday, Review ran an excerpt from Amy Chua's new book "Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother." The article, titled "Why Chinese Mothers Are Superior," attracted a lot of attention, generating more than 4,000 comments on wsj.com and around 100,000 comments on Facebook. Below, Ms. Chua answers questions from Journal readers who wrote in to the Ideas Market blog.
Do you think that strict, "Eastern" parenting eventually helps children lead happy lives as adults?
When it works well, absolutely! And by working well, I mean when high expectations are coupled with love, understanding and parental involvement. This is the gift my parents gave me, and what I hope I'm giving my daughters. I've also taught law students of all backgrounds for 17 years, and I've met countless students raised the "tough immigrant" way (by parents from Pakistan, India, Nigeria, Korea, Jamaica, Haiti, Iran, Ireland, etc.) who are thriving, independent, bold, creative, hilarious and, at least to my eyes, as happy as anyone. But I also know of people raised with "tough love" who are not happy and who resent their parents. There is no easy formula for parenting, no right approach (I don't believe, by the way, that Chinese parenting is superior─a splashy headline, but I didn't choose it). The best rule of thumb I can think of is that love, compassion and knowing your child have to come first, whatever culture you're from. It doesn't come through in the excerpt, but my actual book is not a how-to guide; it's a memoir, the story of our family's journey in two cultures, and my own eventual transformation as a mother. Much of the book is about my decision to retreat from the strict "Chinese" approach, after my younger daughter rebelled at 13.
I have a 20-month-old, and my husband and I both enjoyed the article. How can you apply this to toddlers?
We didn't actually do anything that different when my daughters were toddlers, just the same kinds of things that you probably do already: read picture books with them, took them for strolls and to the playground, did puzzles with them, sang songs about ABCs and numbers and mainly snuggled with and hugged them! Maybe the only thing different I did is that I always had a babysitter or student speaking in Mandarin to them every day, for at least four to five hours, including weekends, because I wanted my girls to be bilingual. (I wanted my daughters to learn from native Mandarin speakers, because my own native Chinese dialect is Fujianese [Hokkien], and my Mandarin accent is terrible.)
Your method may work with children with a native high IQ─but demanding that kind of excellence from less intelligent children seems unfair and a fool's errand. Demanding hard work and a great effort from children is the best middle ground we can reach philosophically, isn't it? Your thoughts?
Jokes about A+s and gold medals aside (much of my book is tongue-in-cheek, making fun of myself), I don't believe that grades or achievement is ultimately what Chinese parenting (at least as I practice it) is really about. I think it's about helping your children be the best they can be─which is usually better than they think! It's about believing in your child more than anyone else─even more than they believe in themselves. And this principle can be applied to any child, of any level of ability. My youngest sister, Cindy, has Down syndrome, and I remember my mother spending hours and hours with her, teaching her to tie her shoelaces on her own, drilling multiplication tables with Cindy, practicing piano every day with her. No one expected Cindy to get a PhD! But my mom wanted her to be the best she could be, within her limits. Today, my sister works at Wal-Mart, has a boyfriend and still plays piano─one of her favorite things is performing for her friends. She and my mom have a wonderful relationship, and we all love her for who she is.
Ms. Chua, are you a happy adult? Do you look back on your childhood and feel that it was happy? Do you remember laughing with your parents? Do you wish that you could have taken ballet or been in the high school musical?
I was raised by extremely strict─but also extremely loving─Chinese immigrant parents, and I had the most wonderful childhood! I remember laughing constantly with my parents─my dad is a real character and very funny. I certainly did wish they allowed to me do more things! I remember often thinking, "Why is it such a big deal for me to go to a school dance," or "Why can't I go on the school ski trip?" But on the other hand, I had great times with my family (and even today, it's one of my favorite things to vacation with my parents and sisters). As I write in my book, "When my friends hear stories about when I was little, they often imagine that I had a horrible childhood. But that's not true at all; I found strength and confidence in my peculiar family. We started off as outsiders together, and we discovered America together, becoming Americans in the process. I remember my father working until three in the morning every night, so driven he wouldn't even notice us entering the room. But I also remember how excited he was introducing us to tacos, sloppy joes, Dairy Queen and eat-all-you-can buffets, not to mention sledding, skiing, crabbing and camping. I remember a boy in grade school making slanty-eyed gestures at me, guffawing as he mimicked the way I pronounced "restaurant" (rest-OW-rant)─I vowed at that moment to rid myself of my Chinese accent. But I also remember Girl Scouts and hula hoops; poetry contests and public libraries; winning a Daughters of the American Revolution essay contest; and the proud, momentous day my parents were naturalized."
And yes, I am a happy adult. I am definitely a Type A personality, always rushing around, trying to do too much, not good at just lying on the beach. But I'm so thankful for everything I have: wonderfully supportive parents and sisters, the best husband in the world, terrific students I love teaching and hanging out with, and above all, my two amazing daughters.
What is your relationship with your daughters like now?
I have a wonderful relationship with my daughters, which I wouldn't trade for the world. I certainly made mistakes and have regrets─my book is a kind of coming-of-age book (for the mom!), and the person at the beginning of the book, whose voice is reflected in the Journal excerpt, is not exactly the same person at the end of book. In a nutshell, I get my comeuppance; much of the book is about my decision to retreat (but only partially) from the strict immigrant model. Having said that, if I had to do it all over, I would do basically the same thing, with some adjustments. I'm not saying it's for everyone, and I'm not saying it's a better approach. But I'm very proud of my daughters. It's not just that they've done well in school; they are both kind, generous, independent girls with big personalities. Most important, I feel I'm very close with both of them, knock on wood.
Do you think that strict, "Eastern" parenting eventually helps children lead happy lives as adults?
When it works well, absolutely! And by working well, I mean when high expectations are coupled with love, understanding and parental involvement. This is the gift my parents gave me, and what I hope I'm giving my daughters. I've also taught law students of all backgrounds for 17 years, and I've met countless students raised the "tough immigrant" way (by parents from Pakistan, India, Nigeria, Korea, Jamaica, Haiti, Iran, Ireland, etc.) who are thriving, independent, bold, creative, hilarious and, at least to my eyes, as happy as anyone. But I also know of people raised with "tough love" who are not happy and who resent their parents. There is no easy formula for parenting, no right approach (I don't believe, by the way, that Chinese parenting is superior─a splashy headline, but I didn't choose it). The best rule of thumb I can think of is that love, compassion and knowing your child have to come first, whatever culture you're from. It doesn't come through in the excerpt, but my actual book is not a how-to guide; it's a memoir, the story of our family's journey in two cultures, and my own eventual transformation as a mother. Much of the book is about my decision to retreat from the strict "Chinese" approach, after my younger daughter rebelled at 13.
I have a 20-month-old, and my husband and I both enjoyed the article. How can you apply this to toddlers?
We didn't actually do anything that different when my daughters were toddlers, just the same kinds of things that you probably do already: read picture books with them, took them for strolls and to the playground, did puzzles with them, sang songs about ABCs and numbers and mainly snuggled with and hugged them! Maybe the only thing different I did is that I always had a babysitter or student speaking in Mandarin to them every day, for at least four to five hours, including weekends, because I wanted my girls to be bilingual. (I wanted my daughters to learn from native Mandarin speakers, because my own native Chinese dialect is Fujianese [Hokkien], and my Mandarin accent is terrible.)
Your method may work with children with a native high IQ─but demanding that kind of excellence from less intelligent children seems unfair and a fool's errand. Demanding hard work and a great effort from children is the best middle ground we can reach philosophically, isn't it? Your thoughts?
Jokes about A+s and gold medals aside (much of my book is tongue-in-cheek, making fun of myself), I don't believe that grades or achievement is ultimately what Chinese parenting (at least as I practice it) is really about. I think it's about helping your children be the best they can be─which is usually better than they think! It's about believing in your child more than anyone else─even more than they believe in themselves. And this principle can be applied to any child, of any level of ability. My youngest sister, Cindy, has Down syndrome, and I remember my mother spending hours and hours with her, teaching her to tie her shoelaces on her own, drilling multiplication tables with Cindy, practicing piano every day with her. No one expected Cindy to get a PhD! But my mom wanted her to be the best she could be, within her limits. Today, my sister works at Wal-Mart, has a boyfriend and still plays piano─one of her favorite things is performing for her friends. She and my mom have a wonderful relationship, and we all love her for who she is.
Ms. Chua, are you a happy adult? Do you look back on your childhood and feel that it was happy? Do you remember laughing with your parents? Do you wish that you could have taken ballet or been in the high school musical?
I was raised by extremely strict─but also extremely loving─Chinese immigrant parents, and I had the most wonderful childhood! I remember laughing constantly with my parents─my dad is a real character and very funny. I certainly did wish they allowed to me do more things! I remember often thinking, "Why is it such a big deal for me to go to a school dance," or "Why can't I go on the school ski trip?" But on the other hand, I had great times with my family (and even today, it's one of my favorite things to vacation with my parents and sisters). As I write in my book, "When my friends hear stories about when I was little, they often imagine that I had a horrible childhood. But that's not true at all; I found strength and confidence in my peculiar family. We started off as outsiders together, and we discovered America together, becoming Americans in the process. I remember my father working until three in the morning every night, so driven he wouldn't even notice us entering the room. But I also remember how excited he was introducing us to tacos, sloppy joes, Dairy Queen and eat-all-you-can buffets, not to mention sledding, skiing, crabbing and camping. I remember a boy in grade school making slanty-eyed gestures at me, guffawing as he mimicked the way I pronounced "restaurant" (rest-OW-rant)─I vowed at that moment to rid myself of my Chinese accent. But I also remember Girl Scouts and hula hoops; poetry contests and public libraries; winning a Daughters of the American Revolution essay contest; and the proud, momentous day my parents were naturalized."
And yes, I am a happy adult. I am definitely a Type A personality, always rushing around, trying to do too much, not good at just lying on the beach. But I'm so thankful for everything I have: wonderfully supportive parents and sisters, the best husband in the world, terrific students I love teaching and hanging out with, and above all, my two amazing daughters.
What is your relationship with your daughters like now?
I have a wonderful relationship with my daughters, which I wouldn't trade for the world. I certainly made mistakes and have regrets─my book is a kind of coming-of-age book (for the mom!), and the person at the beginning of the book, whose voice is reflected in the Journal excerpt, is not exactly the same person at the end of book. In a nutshell, I get my comeuppance; much of the book is about my decision to retreat (but only partially) from the strict immigrant model. Having said that, if I had to do it all over, I would do basically the same thing, with some adjustments. I'm not saying it's for everyone, and I'm not saying it's a better approach. But I'm very proud of my daughters. It's not just that they've done well in school; they are both kind, generous, independent girls with big personalities. Most important, I feel I'm very close with both of them, knock on wood.
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