Parenting Between The United States And China

Name Tutor Course Date Parenting Between USA and China There is a general belief that parents or guardians play a significant role in molding the future life of a child. Parenting style determines the kind of a person a child will be in the society. Children depend on their parents for shelter, clothing, food, finance and companionship. Parental concerns and punishment on their children would greatly influence the behavior of a child (Kim 219). Cultural differences between America and China have led to differences in parenting styles. In the United States, most parents apply a parenting style referred to as authoritative, which entails controlling activities of a child in a more balanced and issue-based manner. In America, parents support their children in decision-making and give them a chance to exercise liberty (Kotaman 40). On the other hand, parents in China adopt a parenting style referred to as authoritarian, which tries to create, examine and direct child’s conduct and outlook depending on the normal character (Kotaman 40). In case a child deviates from what is expected of them, force may be applied to stop self-will. Children under authoritarian parenting style have no freedom to make their own decisions and cannot do things their way. There has been a long-standing debate on which between American and Chinese is the best parenting style. Advocates of American parenting style argue that authoritative style produces all rounded individuals since a child is given a chance to decide what is good for them (Kotaman 40). Contrary, Chinese parenting style proponents believe that authoritarian style yields a more disciplined and responsible individual. In this paper, I will present a comprehensive argument on why American parenting is the best style in rearing a child. It is important to note that both American and Chinese rearing styles promote distinct values and hence produce individuals who excel in different aspects (Ren and Carolyn 616). Particular culture will determine the most effective method since parenting styles are shaped by individual culture. Implementing a foreign child-rearing style that is not related to local beliefs would have detrimental impacts on a child because of conflicts and pressure of social beliefs. For instance, an American child may not respond well to Chinese parenting style because it is different from American modern and expressive culture (Ren and Carolyn 616). Similarly, a Chinese child may respond poorly to American parenting style due to a Chinese tradition and a conformed culture. Nonetheless, I believe that finding a balance between control and support is the best way to support children to achieve their goals in a more positive manner while maintaining rules and boundaries. It is important for the parents to consider a child’s perspective equally to their own before executing any form of punishment. Any form of punishment should be justifiable and parents should not punish their children just because they are superior to them. In addition, parent expectations of their children should not solely lie within academics, which is a general practice in Chinese parenting. Rather, parents should concentrate on the overall performance of their children, including factors such as self-reliance, ind...