I was raised, myself, by extremely strict but also extremely loving Chinese immigrant parents. To this day, I believe that their having high expectations for me, coupled with love, was the greatest gift that anyone's ever given me. And so that's why, even though my husband is not Chinese, I try to raise my own two daughters the same way.

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.

I'm suggesting that, ironically, the secret to becoming a world 'hyperpower' is tolerance. If you look at history, you see great powers being very tolerant in their rise to global dominance.

Never complain or make excuses. If something seems unfair, just prove yourself by working twice as hard and being twice as good.

The truth is I'm not good at enjoying life.

Both of my girls have very high self-esteem because they were both able to master certain things; I should think that's good for their confidence.

Don't assume your child is weak. If you, the parent, assume that they can't take anymore, what kind of signal are you sending them?