Amy Chua, the John M. Duff, Jr. Professor at Yale Law, thinks she’s the best mom in the world. Her two children were never in a school play, never attended a sleepover, never watched T.V., and never received less than an A. (Sounds like a great childhood, right?) How does Chua explain her iron fist? She’s Chinese. Or at least that’s how she explains it in her most recent book, Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother, released today.

But like her last masterwork, Day of Empire, the book has incited some controversy. Over the weekend, The Wall Street Journal published an excerpt, which has generated 2,734 comments. Chua explains, “Despite our squeamishness about cultural stereotypes, there are tons of studies out there showing marked and quantifiable differences between Chinese and Westerners when it comes to parenting.” Chua leaves out the location of this scientific-support mountain. She goes on to argue, “Chinese parents understand that nothing is fun until you’re good at it.” Yes, Amy, no children have fun swimming or painting if they aren’t yet Olympic swimmers or internationally renowned artists.  Chua doesn’t stop there—she unleashes one of the most terrifying portraits of a parent I have ever read:

The fact is that Chinese parents can do things that would seem unimaginable—even legally actionable—to Westerners. Chinese mothers can say to their daughters, “Hey fatty—lose some weight.” By contrast, Western parents have to tiptoe around the issue, talking in terms of “health” and never ever mentioning the f-word, and their kids still end up in therapy for eating disorders and negative self-image.

It doesn’t matter whether you’re “Chinese” or a “Westerner.” Calling your children “the f-word” will probably guarantee a hefty therapy bill—even if it helps them save on Brazilian butt lifts.

My mom wasn’t a “tiger mother,” but I still made it to Yale. And I suspect many readers are in the same boat. So, Amy, I think you should keep your tiger claws in the law books and off Western children.

Tags: Amy Chua, Amy Chua parenting, Amy Chua Wall Street Journal, Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother, parenting Amy Chua, Wall Street Journal, Wall Street Journal Amy Chua