Coincidence? We think not.
Chua, who blurbs Bébé, made everyone crazy for the reasons any criticism stings: It contains some element of truth. Chua is an obsessive, but she raised two exceptional children while the rest of us, failing to ban television or to insist on five hours of daily piano practice, did not.
Also, Chua's relentless drive toward achievement does not speak well to the balance of Sino-American relations, especially given that, over the last three years, the number of Chinese students at American universities has tripled.
Now we get a scolding from the French, long indifferent to our wonders because they feel vastly superior.
Bébé quotes Jean-Jacques Rousseau (Swiss, never married): "Do you know the surest means of making your child miserable? It is to accustom him to getting everything." True, and also the surest way of making parents miserable and broke, and therapists quite happy.
Americans have been fools to worry so much about our progeny, Druckerman warns, and to make them the center of our universe. (Ed. note: Particularly when they don't clean their rooms or empty the dishwasher.) She neglects to note the curious rise of the pet people, who in the epicenter of their world place their dogs.
French parents don't fuss apparently, running to comfort a child's every fall. Babies are expected to "self-soothe," cry until they fall asleep. Consequently, French mothers get more rest and look more fetching - and being French, they already have a head start. Gallic parents aren't overly protective or indulgent. They're strict without being harsh: "They aren't trying to prod them into becoming prodigies."
Consequently, French children are better behaved and less anxious. Although, come to think of it, when was the last time France produced any geniuses?
