生儿容易，养儿难。

虎妈的“狼牙棍棒”，猫爸的“蜜语甜言”，

哪种parenting丝带儿才是你的菜？

没有不需要学习的父母，

更没有天生的教育高手，

如何让孩子在短暂的成长中遇见更多种可能?

来来来，听听歪果大叔怎么说~~~

Raising a child has never been easy. 

But in an Internet world where everyone, including kids, have access to information all around the world, life, including parenting, can be more complex and confusing because of the exposure to new ideas and concepts.

American culture has had global impact. Many people around the world also see American ideas as being worthy of following. Parenting, or child rearing (raising), is one of these areas. 

But American parenting ideas may be quite different from Chinese ones.

Also, as more and more Chinese families consider sending their children to the US for study, understanding how parenting styles differ can help Chinese parents be better prepared. What are some of these differences?

1

Americans believe in “positive reinforcement”. 

This means that children should be praised as much as possible. American parents believe this builds a child’s self-confidence. There is also an American phrase “you catch more flies with honey than vinegar” meaning that sweet sounding words are more effective than sour ones.

Chinese parents, on the other hand, tend to believe that criticism is more effective. They also tend to be more “authoritarian”, meaning that they feel they should make many, if not all, of the important decisions for a child. Chinese parents may also give their children physical punishment for misbehavior. 

In the US, this is generally frowned upon (viewed with disapproval). Parents that hit their children are seen as uneducated and may even be arrested for doing so.

In general, American parents tend to see their children as equals and want to become friends with them. So they not only let their children make their own decisions about classes to take and hobbies to pursue but also ask for their opinions and suggestions about decisions that affect the entire family such as where to live and where to go on vacation.

2

Another important way American parenting differs from Chinese parenting is that American parents believe children are able to and should take care of themselves. 

The title of this book, The Parenting 5: Practical and Independent Little People by Ruth Barker illustrates this idea. 

On the other hand, many Chinese parents feel their children are vulnerable and need protection by their parents. 

For example, American parents usually want children to feed themselves as soon as possible and say things like “If you don’t eat, you’ll be hungry later.” Chinese parents often follow their children around and try to get them to eat.

3

Lastly, American parents generally don’t have expectations for their children to contribute to the family economically or to strengthen the reputation or honor of the family. Because of this, American parents tend to want their children to be happy instead of pushing them to excel or be successful. 

On the other hand, Chinese children are often taught that they have an obligation to the entire family and are expected to provide financial support to their parents in their old age.

so

If you are planning on sending your children to live or study in the US, it is good to learn as much as possible about these differences in parenting ideas and behaviors so you can be better prepared for a happy experience.

下期看点

Where did the two stories 

in the follwing pictures happen ?

You must have got the answer.

想知道“浪漫之都”缘何浪漫吗？

下周，“歪果仁”携手“西雅图不眠夜”

与你不见不散哦。