ABSTRACT
This chapter draws on ethnographic fieldwork carried out over fifteen months from 2006 to 2007 in Chinese family homes in Edinburgh to discuss some of the ethical questions which arise for Hong Kong Chinese parents bringing up their children in the West. Parents and teachers in Britain today are encouraged to nurture children's self-esteem through praise for positive behaviour. This contrasts with the way some Hong Kong Chinese parents have sought to discipline their children by drawing attention to faults and failings. The chapter presents the stories of families, arriving in Scotland from Hong Kong at different times, who took different decisions concerning the care of their children. It argues that the ethical choices made concerning childcare relate to people's sense of security and belonging in British society; often parents would express negative emotions such as fear over their children's physical safety as well as the harmful influence of British values on their moral development.
