Amy Chua on Being a Mother

Eve Gerber :

Mother's Day is upon us. I'm wondering how it's observed in the Chua-Rubenfeld household and what you think of this Western invention.

I always send flowers and a card for my own mother. But it's harder for me to get the same amount of attention from my two daughters. Everyone is so busy. We'll probably go to see a movie and to a Chinese restaurant. In my household, that's the tradition.

The topic is mothering, but you've chosen an illustrated children's classic about a duck, a memoir and three novels. What do you have against parenting manuals?

I have nothing against parenting manuals, although I have been disappointed that people who haven't read my book have portrayed it as a parenting manual. When my daughters were infants, I think I did have the "What to Expect" series. But once my daughters grew out of toddlerhood, I thought I'd just do what my parents did. I learned the hard way that what they did wasn't so easy.

My parents were extremely strict, but also extremely loving, Chinese immigrant parents. While I wasn't always so happy about how strict they were when I was growing up, as an adult I adore my parents. I feel I owe all that I am to my parents and I don't think I turned out that badly.

Posted by Jim Zellmer at May 10, 2011 1:50 AM
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