A HEADS-UP: I'm not sure why I wrote this but I just thought I should blog about it.  There isn't really a point to this, and it's not well thought-out now that I'm reading it over.

Today is Saturday, and Saturday is grocery shopping day.  Since we're Chinese, my mom and I always go to the Chinese supermarket.  We were walking past while I heard a little boy screaming and crying as if he just found out his favourite batman toy wasn't being sold anymore. (FYI, I'd only cry like that if they stopped making Brie cheese.) His grandmother was holding him and said to him (in Chinese),

"Hush, do you see any other kids crying? Stop it."

Which I found amusing because that's exactly what my mom used to say to me when I cried in public, which I didn't do very often because, again, I'd only cry like that if they stopped making Brie cheese... or if I wasn't allowed to get a Barbie that I really wanted, but I digress.

I don't know if this only happens in the Asian culture, or if it's a worldwide phenomenon, but I feel like this kind of upbringing has contributed to the way I am now.  I'm not what you'd call a rebel, and though I've become less shy since coming to Canada, I feel that my Chinese upbringing has basically told me to blend, not be noticed too much, and to not disappoint my parents. In fact, I can count on one hand the number of Asians I know who aren't going into engineering, commerce, or medicine.

What did your parents do when you cried in public as a child? Do you think this has affected your behaviour?