Section A01
Reflection 9: Why I love my strict Chinese Mom
Many non-Asians have the misconception that Asian-American children are dominated by a pair of oppressive and strict parents that dictate their lives and limit their activities to the academic realm. This myth was especially magnified with Amy Chua's book titled Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mom, which describes the strict parenting technique of an Chinese-American mother. When I first heard of the Tiger Mom, I had many of the same reactions as the rest of the American public. It was a mixture of disbelief, horror, shock, pity, and then relief that my parents weren't like that. However, the letter from her daughter, Sophia Chua-Rubenfield, changed how I saw her parenting technique. Though maybe exaggerated by the media, it could be argued that Chua achieved the American dream that many Asian-Americans dream they could provide for their children. Amy Chua achieved the dream of class mobility by affording her children more opportunities. At the same time, she made sure they didn't grow up to be spoiled, ungrateful, and lazy children by having a strict, Chinese-influenced household. Many Asian-American parents would probably aspire to be like Amy Chua because of the opportunities she gave her children, which they sadly can't give to their own. Also, many working-class families or language skills to be active in their children's lives, creating a more distanced and absent parenting household. While Amy Chua's parenting style isn't a factory perfect model of how to create perfect children, it is based on good intentions. It leads me to the question: What is worse? An absent parent that that neglects their children, or a present parent that can be too involved in their children's lives?
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