In the Amy Tan short story "Two Kinds," the daughter, Jing-Mei, refuses to continue to play the piano, though her mother wants her to be a prodigy. After that time, she says that "I failed her many times, each time asserting my will, my right to fall short of expectations." Jing-Mei says that she didn't get A's in school and went on to drop of out college. Instead of believing that she could be anything that she wanted, as her mother did, she believes "I could only be me." She thinks that she disappointed her mother because she is not a prodigy and not successful in traditional ways.

If her mother is disappointed in her, it is likely only because Jing-Mei isn't trying hard enough or believing in herself. Her mother's faith in her daughter never wavers. Even after her daughter hasn't played the piano for years, the mother tells her, "You have natural talent." The mother isn't disappointed in her daughter for not being a prodigy, only for not believing that she can accomplish great things. However, the mother is likely not as disappointed in her daughter as Jing-Mei thinks. Amy Tan conveys that the mother always believes in her daughter; for example, she continues to hope the daughter will take the piano that still sits in her parents' house. She also knows that her daughter has a strong, stubborn personality (which Jing-Mei shows by refusing to follow her mother's orders), so the mother knows that her daughter has qualities that will enable her to succeed.