Last week, Penguin Press published Amy Chua's book Battle Hymn Of The Tiger Mother, which criticizes "Western" parenting and advocates an "Asian" approach that includes forbidding playdates and being highly critical of children in order to make them more successful. Here are some other tips from the book:

Take your children to Chuck E. Cheese's and let them play any game they choose, then make them watch as you burn their tickets

Ice cream is a great motivator for kids; promise them that if they do everything you ask, they can have some when they turn 18

Inform your child that televisions receive all of their power from flawless renditions of Brahms' Violin Concerto in D

Only let your children have a pet dog if they can tame the most rabid dog at the pound

Should your child express interest in spending more time with his or her friends, simply pack up and move several hundred miles away

To ensure academic excellence, inform your children that there is a mark higher than an A-plus and then shame them for failing to attain it

Replace their frail little limbs with less fragile prosthetics

Remember, you may have to put up with one or two suicides before you finally craft that perfect child you've always wanted