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.

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?

I think if you're a 'tiger parent' early on, you don't need to be a 'helicopter parent' in high school.

My goal as a parent is to prepare you for the future, not to make you like me.

Chinese parents believe that their kids owe them everything.

My dogs can't do anything--and what a relief. I don't make any demands of them, and I don't try to shape them or their future. For the most part, I trust them to make the right choices for themselves. I always look forward to seeing them, and I love just watching them sleep. What a great relationship.

The Chinese model calls for giving your kids very little choice - and I've come to see that you can go too far with that. On the other hand, I also believe that Western parents sometimes give their young kids too much choice.