Anna from NY.. You go girl!. now I admit, I won the daughter lottery, my girls did well, honors, but without any pushing at all. messy rooms... grew up to be quite domestic. and loving people. The whole world is waiting to criticize and demand of them.. it's important to have two people who love and support them.. ps. one daughter great craftsperson ( professional jewler with her own shop)

I try to give my kids space. As a kid growing up in the Bronx, I was given too much space. At a young age I was a latchkey kid. I was given the keys to the apartment and told, "School is that way," a finger pointed north.

I was lucky to survive unharmed, but I am trying to figure out how to give kids room to have some autonomy. All my alone time, allowed me to think fast on my feet as an adult. I can do things.

I'd love to send my kids to the corner store for milk, they are seven and five... and don't feel it is safe. Perhaps, I could have friends watch them every step of the way with walkie talkies as if my friends were on a stake out.

At least in the playground, I pretend not to always know what they are doing. Of course, when my five year old quietly dug out bricks around a tree and put them in stagnant water from a flood, so that it would look like he was walking on the water, I almost had a heart attack. I made him walk through the stagnant water and put them back by the tree.

Giving kids space to make mistakes and then help them explain why they can't do certain things is harder then constantly keeping an eye on them, especially when it sounds and looks like they are going to really kill each other.

However, when they put down their sticks and end up reading a book together, I always wipe my brow and make the "Whew!" sound.

They are repeating the discussion. Again, she absolutely correct. All this nonsense "you can be President." Why everyone has to want to be President? This is barbaric limitation, reduction of human possibilities. Why not be a craftsman, for example? You are teaching children that only power, success and money matter and that one is NOT allowed to have inner life, thoughts, introspection, spirituality etc. March. This is the order.

This woman is correct. Americans raise children in a barbaric way: march, march, march, schneller, schneller, schneller. As a result, there is at least one generation of marching zombies who march, march, march schnell, schnell, schnell.
The most tragic aspect of this nonsense is that this model is imposed on innocent children everywhere in the world.
Increasingly, another tragic aspect of this march, march, march is another march - three jobs (each paying minimal wage, no health care), 4 hour commute, huge college debts and NO chance of a civilized life.
Tiger moms should go where they belong - to wilderness.

Children, of course, do best in an intact family.