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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote]The PP's comment about kids resisting is interesting. [b]There has to be a huge cultural factor at play on enrolling in Kumon[/b]. Many of the Junior Kumon students are Asian, and at the center we go to many enroll their kids at age 3. I don't think they are concerned at all about their kids hating them. It is just expected of them, like you require your kids to brush their teeth every day. It was an eye-opener to see how advanced the kids who start at three are in both reading and math, especially when many of the kids speak another language at home. I sat in the room the first couple of weeks with my son, so I saw what levels the little kids were working on. It was amazing to see how independently the kids could complete their worksheets. When I hovered over my son and encouraged him after each problem, the instructor smiled and told me to let him try to do it on his own since they are also teaching independent work habits. I was on the fence before about enrolling him, but now I see that I see the benefits I will keep him enrolled for a while.

I would love to hear from others who have done junior kumon for a while. Did your kids get tired of going?[/quote]

I think you are quite correct in this interpretation.  Studying math (Kumon) and music for some groups is as interwoven in the cultural and family fabric as going to synagogue, reading the scriptures or playing lacrosse.  Every one does it.  What's the big deal.  Thus, when others don't quite understand this phenomena and/or the life styles of others, they hurl out invectives ... torture, drill and kill, hatred and the like...as if their life style should be our preferred one size fits all.   
 
[/quote]

I have to say that while I agree that everyone has the right to raise his/her child as he/she sees fit and in whatever culture they want, I'd be careful about idolizing the cultures that work their children very hard and expect perfection.  I have several adult Asian friends who greatly resent their "tiger moms" and frankly, although they were pushed relentlessly and I was not, we ended up at the same place in life.  Do what you want, but for me, the aggressive pushing of young children to do things they are not developmentally ready for is not for me.[/quote]

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