In an article published Jan. 15, the Globe and Mail’s Margaret Wente interviewed Amy Chua, author of Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother. Chua is a professor of law at Yale, and her book shares some of the parenting techniques she used in raising her two “phenomenally accomplished” daughters, Sophia and Lulu.

Chua is critical of childrearing as an activity oriented around self-esteem and self-exploration. Instead, she emphasizes repetition, criticism and exacting standards. Her children were denied the sorts of childhood experiences that many take for granted, including play dates and sleepovers. The children weren’t allowed to get anything below an A in school—with the exception of gym and drama—nor were they allowed to learn any instrument besides the piano or violin. An excerpt from Chua’s book published last week in The Wall Street Journal drew considerable public attention, both positive and negative. Some have denounced Chua’s tactics as cruel, while others have charged her with contributing to Asian stereotyping and encouraging discrimination.

Though Chua succeeded in raising two very talented children, one of whom has played in Carnegie Hall, it’s nearly impossible to condone the methods she used.

Chua insists that “nothing is fun until you’re good at it,” and explains that “children on their own never want to work, which is why it is crucial to override their preferences.” While it’s reasonable to push your children to succeed—for their own sake and out of personal pride—forcing them to excel at everything, and limiting their areas of interest is simply unreasonable. Academic success has perceptible benefits, but there’s little purpose to excelling at everything when you don’t enjoy any of it.

Denying children social outlets won’t do them any favours, as developing social skills is important for success in adulthood. It’s much more reasonable to teach children the importance of hard work and diligence, and encourage them to work at their homework—while ensuring that they spent with their friends.

It’s simply common sense that placing an expectation of perfection on your children will put them in a no-win situation. Most children won’t be able to keep up with this standard, regardless of how much time and energy they apply. Passion and independent discovery will lead to pursuing genuine interests; forced pratice will not.

Ultimately, people are free to raise their children as they see fit, and no one wants their children to fail. But striving for success can sometimes reach too far.