Child-rearing methods: discipline vs. freedom

How we are raised makes a huge importance to us later in life. Every culture, every family and every parent have an opinion on what the best method is. Some believe in discipline and structure, while others believe that the best way to produce successful adults is to simply let kids be kids.The three texts present various views and methods on how to raise a successful child. The ‘tiger mother’ from the first text values discipline. She is referred to as ‘tiger mother’ because of her strict rules that she sets for her daughter. The rules include no playdates, no sleepovers and only straight A’s are acceptable (except for in gym and drama class), and her daughter cannot play any other instrument than piano and violin. Now the daughter, Sophia Chua-Rubenfeld, turned 18 and wrote a public letter to her ‘tiger mum’ and you might think that her daughter despises her, however she thanks her mum for her strict upbringing and believes it made her more independent and hardworking. The second text has a belief completely contrary to text no. 1. Parenting guru Dr Bryan Caplan doesn’t think that children should be forced into doing activities they don’t like, such as playing classical piano (which frankly I don’t think many kids enjoy). Parents should let their kids do what they enjoy, and that includes letting them watch lots of television, play video games and eat pizza. The logic behind all this is that parents, teachers and chemistry camp don’t have a considerable amount of affect on the child, so parents should ‘cut themselves some slack’. The text relies on studies that shows that it’s the genes that decide how the child is going to turn out, and not how it’s raised. The third text supports text no. 2, however the argument used here is that people are not the same and we don’t all want the same things in life. And a kid shouldn’t be pressured into college to become a mediocre lawyer, if that kid had a great potential to be a ballet dancer. The author, A.S Neill, mentions the great Russian ballet dancer Nijinsky who struggled in school and had trouble passing his exams. But on a scene it didn’t matter whether or not he could solve a quadratic equation, but rather how he moved. Intelligence can’t be measured, and if you aren’t doing well in school, doesn’t mean that you won’t do well in life. A.S Neill wants kids to pursue their dreams, even if that dream is to become a bricklayer. That’s why he founded the Summerhill School, to teach kids to chase their dreams and not their parents’.