I heard more than twice of parents telling their children about their own childhood. When we were your age, we did not have TV, nor did we have computer, games, internet. In fact, we did not even have toys. All we had were books and we spent most of time on school work. Children growing up here are so lucky.  One parent said of my daughter, “When my sister was 12 years old, she could cook for the whole family.  Look at her at age 13.  What can she do?”  No doublt with some parents, the comparison often leaves them unsatisfied with whatever their children have achieved.

I often caught myself doing the same thing. Indeed, speaking of childhood experience, parents like me grew up in China have little in common with their children born and growing up in America.  I like to share with my children my childhood experience, which sounds like stories from a far-away ancient land.  They like to hear me telling them how I caught dragonflies or how I planted hot pepper in a broken wot on window sill.

I thought it a good practice to let the youngsters know of our past so that they are given an opportunity to appreciate their lives now and here from a new angle.  It is an even better practice to let them grow in their own culture and time instead of making them feel or look bad by comparison.

In fact, my children like to hear anything as long as I do not make them go an extra mile by comparisons.  It is not only impossible but also unwise to un-Americanize them by making them work half as hard as we used to. Another earnest joke.