Ok, here is the thing……….. there is no battle, except in the author’s head. And such a single minded, my way or highway, head it is. The first part starts off okay, then as the fanaticism hits the roof is when you end up reading it with eyebrows raised and eyes wide.

I find the book hilarious though, not the bits where she says,

You can’t play extraordinarily well unless you’re relaxed……..“Imagine that you’re a rag doll”, Mr.Shugart would tell Lulu. “Floppy and relaxed, and not a care in the world. You’re so relaxed your arm feels heavy from its own weight…….Let gravity do all the work….Good, Lulu, good.”
“RELAX!” I screamed at home. “Mr.Shugart said RAG DOLL!”
But the parenting gems is what I found hilarious.

“That’s one difference between a dog and a daughter, I thought to myself later. A dog can do something every dog can do – dog paddle, for example – and we applaud with pride and joy. Imagine how much easier it would be if we could do the same with daughters! But we can’t; that would be negligence.“


And I am not the weak hearted. I am the kind that tells my children stuff like, “Can you please use your brain? That is what it is for.”, “What is for dinner? Food, food is for dinner. You eat what is served, no questions asked.” Other children coming to my house ask my daughters, “Why is your mother so strict?” and my daughters sigh and answer, “Yes, she is. I already told you no?” And I find this Chinese parenting extreme. May it is just Chua parenting and not Chinese parenting.
I am so reading sections about music practice to the children. So the next time I ask them to do their 10 min daily practice, they get perspective.