Introduction
Amy Tan used two books, “The Rules of the Game” and “Two Kids” to address parenting roles in different scenarios. In “The Rules of the Game”, she exposes a mother’s supportive attitude towards her talented daughter. The mother would always induce confidence in her daughter by being supportive in her every single move in life. The daughter was able to achieve success in her interests through her mother’s involvement and partnership.
While playing chess, the mother would encourage her daughter to “win more and lose less next time”. In “Two Kinds”, Amy addresses parenting from a different angle. She assumes the old parenting practices as opposed to modern parenting patterns. The story is about an American girl of Chinese origin struggling to find her identity as an immigrant. In an attempt to mold her daughter’s identity and confidence, her mother enrolls her in piano lessons so as to turn her into a musical prodigy.
She engages her daughter with magazines and television shows such as Shirley Temple movies to show her how great she can be as a child star. In the magazines, the mother samples many “stories about remarkable children” and brings them home to her daughter to be a source of inspiration.
Universal Themes in Both Stories
Both stories have a common theme of mothers helping their children and building their aptitudes. In “The Rules of the Game” story this is done by the use of the modern theories of parenting where the parent does not use conflict to influence her child. Instead, the parent engages the child in synchronized behavior and ends up influencing her. In the “Two Kids” story, the parent uses traditional practices to influence her child.
This was through instilling what she believed to be apparent to her daughter. While Jingmei, the daughter, struggled with identity issues in America, her mother’s attitude towards America was that it was the country where anyone could become whatever he/she had ever wanted to. She used the same attitude to make a superstar out of her daughter by enrolling her in piano classes and having her read the stories she considered inspirational.
The “Rules of the Game” story’s modern theme brings out the element of modern parenting, that parents need to understand their children’s psychology. The element of harmonization between children and parents creates a mutual effort for creativity, competence, and success. Creating a liberal environment for children gives them the power to turn themselves into whiz kids. The “Two Kids” story brings out the element of nurturing a child into becoming what you see in her.
It reflects the idea that sometimes children may not see their full potential but as a parent, you can see the potential in them and you are obliged to nurture it. As a child, Jingmei was reluctant to take up music as her mother was instructing. Upon her mother’s death, however, the emotional affiliation between them made her do music with passion and learn how to play the piano.
Both parenting stories articulate that a child’s aptitude should not be constructed artificially but naturally. They merge modern parenting with traditional parenting concepts. Children have a right to a liberal environment of decision making. On the other hand, parents have a responsibility to influence their children especially by assisting them to develop an identity.