When My Kids Wanted To Give Up

When I Was Little, My Parents Really Only Wanted Me To Be A Scientist Or A Doctor; They Had Never Even Heard Of Law School. I Think Even These Days If You Were To Tell Your Mother You Want To Be A Fashion Designer, Or An Artist Or A Writer, A Lot Of Asian Parents Would Be Alarmed Because They Don't Think That's A Secure Career.

I Do Think That Maybe, Even Subconsciously, A Lot Of Parents In The West Are Wondering, Have We Gone Too Far In The Direction Of Coddling And Protecting - You Know, You See Kids, Sometimes That Seem Very Rude And Disrespectful. And The More Important Thing Is They Don't Seem That Happy.

For My Senior Prom, My Father Finally Said I Could Go - As Long As I Was Home By 9pm! That Was Around The Time That Most People Were Heading Out. When I Was Little I Was So Mad At Them All The Time. Why Can't I Do This? Why Are There So Many Rules? But Looking Back Now, My Parents Gave Me The Foundation To Have So Many Choices In Life.

Nothing Is Fun Until You're Good At It.

Western Parents Worry A Lot About Their Children's Self-esteem. But As A Parent, One Of The Worst Things You Can Do For Your Child's Self-esteem Is To Let Them Give Up. On The Flip Side, There's Nothing Better For Building Confidence Than Learning You Can Do Something You Thought You Couldn't.