Asian Parenting, or, just plain parenting...Part #1

I'm an Asian mom, but unlike the woman who published a book about Chinese mothering this month, I have no intention of controlling my kids' future, life, education, happiness or anything else for that matter.  I may not have a law degree from Yale, but then you don't need a Yale degree to raise normal, happy, creative and curious kids.

I started off with the hands off, non-pushing approach.  When we were looking for preschools for my oldest, who's a high school freshman now, we steered cleared of any preschools with signs of teaching word recognition, spelling, counting or phonics in the classroom.  We ended up in a preschool with its own back hill garden, classroom with lots of toys and two huge playground stocked with climbing structures, sand, water station, a play barn, hand made slides, painting wall and a plain field.  The science room is stocked with a snake, an insect box, two bunnies, silkworms, lizards, two parakeets, a few microscopes and lots of magnifying glasses.  The preschooler room has a play kitchen, a dress up area, an art table, a book nook, a second tier structure where you could climb up to snuggle in some soft pillows and sofa, stocked also with books,  and lots of games and building supplies.  The playroom for older kids are stocked with board games, Legos, Erectors, wooden blocks, K'Nex, GeoMag, Lincoln Logs, Tinkertoys, Zoob, and have you heard of these: Kaplas.  The teachers read and sang to them constantly throughout the day.


For my kids, missing preschool was a big disappointment.  That means they did not get to pick their own vegetables to cook their own lunch, play a game of seashells Mancala with their best friend, build a fort in the hill garden, feed the chickens and collect the eggs, or draw trading cards to trade.  Around the Holidays, it was so much more important to show up since they may also missed the chance to decorate the haunted house or attend the auction for donated toys, books and games, with the coupons they earned doing chores for the teachers.


ABC or math was never taught in that preschool, or in our house, before Kindergarten.  We did, constantly, do two things: read and play.  My eldest did not start read on her own until the end of second grade....but then the reading never stops, even with all the other life, social and school requirements vying for her attention.  My two boys started reading on their own, both in first grade.  So far I haven't heard any complaints about school, learning, or reading being stupid or boring, and I have their preschool to thank.

New Year New Book

I love to read, and I love buying books...eBooks, that is.  We have two Kindles and a Nook Color in the family.  I got my first Kindle (a generation 2) August 2009 as a birthday gift from my husband, and fell hopelessly in love ever seen.  Since both my daughter and son are avid readers as well, when Amazon announced a new and better Kindle in July 2010, we pre-ordered it right away.  Now with about 800+ books in my Kindles and truly enjoying the freedom of not carrying 4-5 books at once, and not having to pay over-weight luggage fee when we travel,  I have been trying to convince my friends to get their own for a while.

Lots of my friends claimed themselves readers, but they don't buy books, and they frown at the idea of paying more than $100 to buy an eReader.  They borrow books from friends, library; or they pick up books at garage sale and second hand book stores.  They really enjoy it when I bring them bags of my old quality paperbacks and hardcovers.  (I absolutely cannot stand what do you call those?  Mass produced paperbacks?  How could someone handle something so horribly designed for reading?)   So far, I sold one Kindle.  I don't know what it is...how can people who constantly claim that they are book-lovers, or avid readers...not fall for a Kindle?

There are several reasons that they commonly use:  I can still get books pretty cheap at the used book store; I thinking of getting an iPad, so I'm waiting to decide; I don't read long books, I just scan interesting books at Barnes and Noble for the summary; I like the feel of real books; too expensive; too low tech; I'm waiting for more features for my money......you name it.  I finally gave up and concluded that someone who does not fall for a Kindle immediately can not actually be a book-lover.  Period.

For the new year, I have a few "to read now" books that I want to get to.  A new book by Lisa Genova, who wrote the book Still Alice that I loved so much.  Genova is a real life neurosurgeon, who bought her real life experiences and knowledge into her stories.  Still Alice was a story about a successful lawyer who tried desperately to fight her symptoms of a hereditary early-onset Alzheimer's.  In Left Neglected, she wrote about a woman who lost the ability to use part of her body after an accident.  I can't wait to read the book.