Question 3: Describe three traditional Chinese child-rearing practices that are changing in Chinese-Australian families.

In the Chinese traditional child rearing practices, it is believed that if the mother is healthy during the pregnancy with calm nature and well spirit, the child will also be same. But these are changing over time in case of Chinese-Australian families. Reproductive and post-partum practices: The Chinese beliefs that the pregnant woman is in a very critical transitional state when the health and food habits are very vital for both mother and foetus and advised for many physical restrictions and also not to take any unhealthy foods like spicier, more salty etc. Beside these the mother-in-law, mother of the pregnant woman take care of her during the whole pregnancy. But in Australian Chinese the women are facing difficulty in dietary and physical restrictions, lack of mental support from families and affecting from frustration and anxiety. Growth and development of children: Chinese children are trained with positive values of endurance, gentleness, unselfishness and non-competitiveness. But the Chinese Australian children are influenced by the western culture and are trained to become more active, competent, self-reliant and achievement-oriented. The traditional child-rearing practices undergo more changes as individualism is taught in the school and they loss the conformity, humility, obedience and the family harmony. Culture and language maintenance: The Chinese language is well restored in the China but in Australia due to higher academic and occupational preferences the English becomes dominant over the Chinese. Speaking in Chinese language is declining very rapidly in generation after generation.