Tiger Parenting vs. Supportive Parenting

Steven Chi

ASA 2 – Section A02

Week 9 Reading Response

In Response to “Does ‘Tiger Parenting’ Exist? Parenting Profiles of Chinese Americans and Adolescent Developmental Outcomes” by Kim, Wang, et. al.

Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother by Amy Chua

                To this very day, there has been a growing “tiger parenting” stereotype that is used to label Asian parenting. According to Chua’s Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother, a tiger parent is one who critically “disciplines their children and emphasizes the importance of family obligation and academic achievement” (Kim, et. al. 7).

I believe that all parents should forego “tiger parenting” and, instead, advocate a supportive style. Tiger parenting is psychologically and emotionally harmful to children. For instance, I have a close friend who has tiger parents, and to her, it is a “constant war against her parents.” Whatever she wants to do or tries to do, her parents always object – even at the smallest things. One time, she brought home an A-, and instead of congratulating her, her parents asked why she couldn’t get an A. Another time, she applied and was accepted to a prestigious summer program but ended up not going because her parents were not willing to pay (yet they told her to apply in the first place).

On the other hand, the article says that students who have supportive parents have been shown to have a higher GPA and fewer depressive symptoms. And based on my own experiences, I have found this to be true. My mother and father have always been supportive of my academic and professional goals. Whenever I struggled in school, they were more than willing to pay for extra tutoring sessions. When I found internships that required a lot of travelling, they insisted that I apply for them anyways and that they would cover all of the costs.

It pains me to see how tiger parents restrict their children from achieving academically and professionally. I know my friend has big dreams, but because of her parents, she is unable to work towards those goals. But there is a bit of hope. According to her, “I’ll get to pursue my own goals in college, where my parents can’t nitpick everything I do.”

Question: How can we change people's parenting styles so that they are nurturing and supportive?