CALIFORNIA, U.S., June 19, 2015 (India West by Vishnu Subramaniam): Why do Indian American kids win spelling bees? Intelligence? Sure. Hard work? Yes. A culture that values education? Yup. But what is the real reason Indian American kids dominate the National Spelling Bee? Parental pressure and demands, fueled by the social pressure for success. When we watch Indian kids celebrating on stage and giving media interviews after winning national competitions, we don’t see the real cost behind this success.
The problem with Indian kids winning spelling bees is that it crushes the self-worth of a majority of kids in the Indian American community. It perpetuates the idea that to be “good” or “enough” in your parents’ eyes, you too must achieve something as big as winning a national contest.
Alternatively, you can love your children, tell them you accept them and that you approve of them no matter what they do with their lives, and support them in whatever decisions they make. One route will lead to newspaper coverage and scholarship money. The other will lead to a positive self-image and happy children who live their values and stay true to themselves.
Much more at “source” above.