I can't find the article, which is a huge shame, but the gist of it was the difference between Asian parenting and American.
Many Asian parents praise their children's effort, rather than the outcome of that effort.
It sounds like your parents did half: Encouraging hard work, and not praising accomplishment, but not giving recognition for the hard work.
If you have kids and find yourself with a similar attitude as your parents, I'd add in that you should praise how hard they worked, regardless of their outcome.
Hope that makes sense...
Also, disclosure: I'm 28, with no kids. Take any parenting advice with a grain of salt :D
> "Many Asian parents praise their children's effort, rather than the outcome of that effort."
As an Asian who knows many other Asians, I found it to be the opposite. Effort was only a necessary component of outcome - and outcome is the ultimate goal. Regardless of how much (or little) effort you put in, negative outcomes are unacceptable.
That more or less reflects my world view now - it's not about working hard, it's more often about working smart. If we make it about effort we leave out of the box solutions on the table. Optimize for outcome.
Many Asian parents praise their children's effort, rather than the outcome of that effort.
It sounds like your parents did half: Encouraging hard work, and not praising accomplishment, but not giving recognition for the hard work.
If you have kids and find yourself with a similar attitude as your parents, I'd add in that you should praise how hard they worked, regardless of their outcome.
Hope that makes sense...
Also, disclosure: I'm 28, with no kids. Take any parenting advice with a grain of salt :D