We Amercans get it right too

Just in time for Mother's Day we have another article about how American parenting doesn't get it right. It seems every year we have a Chinese tiger mom or another expat telling us we could do it differently or better. After reading “How Eskimos Keep their Babies Warm”, I am reminded that there isn't one way or the best way to raise our kids, and that judging each other on our parenting choices doesn't get us anywhere.

We have to remember that culture and context shapes parenting. We can certainly learn from other cultures, but it's really hard to go against the prevailing values, behaviors and traditions of the place in which you are living and raising your kids. How matter how much I love the idea of potty training my daughter at one year of age like the Chinese, I'm not going to let my daughter urinate on the streets of Cambridge. It's easy to teach your kids to eat healthy or excel in school when the entire community, government, infrastructure, friends and family are conspiring to support the same values and behaviors.

We are raising and educating the next generation of American children – what values to we want to instill in them? We value independence and individuality in ourselves and in our children. I don't know many other places in the world where a mother will put nail polish on her son or a father will buy his boy a pink bike because that's what he prefers. We may not always live up to our ideals of equality and tolerance, but I like that we celebrate and value diversity and protect our right to live as we want to. I think we are lucky to live in a place that is tolerant of all kinds of behavior and expression. It would seem that in some things, we Americans get it just right.