I finished the book. If you have read any articles raking her over the coals for her bad parenting, or if you have done so yourself, keep in mind that Amy Chua’s daughters honestly thank her in the book. And however she did it, her girls are determined, successful people.

Amy Chua says, “just because you love something…doesn’t mean you’ll ever be great. Not if you don’t work. Most people stink at the things they love.”

At the end of the day, we all have someone telling us what to do, whether it’s a parent, and employer, or ourselves. If we let ourselves decide what to do with our time, what do we choose? Do we mess around on the computer or watch obscene amounts of television? How hard do we work? Every job has value, even (sometimes especially) the unpaid ones – do we phone it in or do our best?

Amy Chua is right – it’s not enough to be talented or gifted or really smart. You have to work hard. Really hard, if you want to fully realize your abilities. The public schools might offer Honors or A.P. classes and a limited number of sporting activities, but there is substitute for being encouraged and challenged at home. What talents do our kids have that remain uncultivated because we either wait for the teachers to do it or we just want to “keep it fun”? If our kids don’t want to practice and we don’t require them to, what are we teaching them? I’m not saying that every kid and every hobby needs 4+ hours of practice, but we should teach our kids to have goals – and teach them to do the work to achieve those goals. We don’t have to be “the best” at everything, but we should have a chance at being our personal best at something. That kind of training will give our kids an advantage wherever they go in life.

Scroll down for other posts about Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother:

Review
Part 1: Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother, by Amy Chua
Part 2: Try the Extra Credit
Part 3: Keeping Things Fun
Part 4: Out of Control
Part 5: Do The Work