[Abstract] The family education is related to a person''s life. Nowadays, social development needs high qualified talents and good family education is the key point to the high qualified talents. Because of the different social systems, culture backgrounds, education aims and so on, family education for the children is different in many aspects between China and America. In the education projects of training new century talents in the world, all the countries put family education in a very important position. Although family education now attracts social circles’ attention, especially educational circles’ attention, Chinese family education still had a lot of problems. This paper first introduces the definition of family education. Second, this paper points out the main problems in today’s Chinese family education. Third, by comparing, this paper points out the different family education between China and America (mainly on aspects of family education’s contents, aims and methods). Family education aims for training the children into what kind of person that the education contents and methods choose according to the aims. After comparison, the paper interprets the reasons of these differences. Finally, the paper puts forward some methods that suit Chinese family education.

[Key Words] family education; comparison; American; Chinese

1. Introduction

Entering twenty-first century, as one of the hottest spot, family education is becoming more and more important in people’s life. Family, as the cell of society, is the first place that children receive education and the first unit that the children get in touch with the society. Education is a highly complicated process which is connected with families, schools and society throughout one’s whole life. A modern society, whether it can present its special education function, which is already the base of the power to push the society and creation of family happiness. In modern society, family education contents become various, it includes not only family life education, family relation education, family morality education, but also children education, parents education and so on. In this paper, I will discuss the education of the children.

2.The definition of family education

“ Harry Chester’s Schools for Children and Institutes for Adults (1860) says, ‘Education is the development and training of the human being in all his capacities, spiritual, intellectual and physical…’”[1]P148 In the dictionary, the definition of family education explained in this way: Parents or elder generation educate the child or teenage in family. Different society needs different family education. “Zheng Qilong, in his work family education, explained it in another way: Education is a society use to educate new generation with aims and systems…”[2]P6-7   Family education is parents educate their children, it is an important part of the whole education system. For the sake of the changing situation, the definition of family education should be extended: “(i) Family education is not only the action of family but concerns the whole society. (ii) Family education’s aims are not only studying the family relation and living skills, but also the physiology and psychology of every family member and family members all-round development. (iii) Family education is not only the way that parents or elder generation educate the child or teenage in family, but all the family members educate each other. (iv) Family education is not only the education of the pre-school education, but also all life education.”[3]P52

3.Main problems in today’s Chinese family education

3.1 Parents’ mistake in conception of value and wrong activities leading

A child’s conception of morality and value orientation learns from acquistion, especially from his parents. So parents affect the child’s mind greatly.“(i) If parents always say some positive view, such as, ‘Money makes the mare go’ or ‘Money talks.’”[4]P23 The child may form a conception that people live in order to make money which is a wrong view of value. (ii) Parents sometimes endorse some wrong behaviors, the child may form an idea that those wrong behaviors are right.

3.2 Utopian expectation of children’s education

Chinese parents produce a great impact on children’s future. When a baby born in a Chinese family, his parents often design a future for him, no matter the child likes it or not. That is to say, Chinese parents would enforce their children living under the designed future instead of considering children’s feelings and abilities. “Just as Phierbaha says ‘Parents’ biggest false is they stand in their position and interfere children’s nature development.’”[5]P24 In China, we can find the following scenes easily: Parents take their children to various kinds of lessons after school. Children would be punished if they didn’t get a good mark in examinations.