Handle with care

Comment on "Soft or tough, handle with care" (China Daily, April 28)

I am an American and a professor of English at Tianjin University. One of my trepidations about accepting my current position was I would be teaching Chinese freshmen oral English.

During the summers of 2000-2001, I had worked with the education bureau of Qingdao training elementary and middle school teachers in innovative methods of teaching English. However, many of these teachers had numerous questions about how we handled discipline issues with American students of the same age. This is where I was first introduced to the term "little emperors". Some of the teachers felt quite helpless and in despair.

So, I wondered if I was going to be facing classes of 40 "little emperors and empresses" in my freshmen classes at Tianjin University. Much to my relief, I have only encountered a few students who fit the stereotype.

As a single mother rearing a son in America, I had to use a variety of discipline approaches depending on the situation with my son. He was very strong-willed as a child and sometimes only a physical spanking on the bottom got his attention enough to improve behavior. However, now if parents were to spank their child, they could get in big trouble.

You seem like a good father, just keep loving your daughters, be firm when you have to, set boundaries both moral and physical, and they will turn out just fine. My son is 26 now, finishing university, has a good job, and is a considerate good person. Thanks for a very enlightening article.

JEAN LEWIS, via e-mail

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