Sunday, May 25, 2014

Why the Tiger Mom Parenting Style Doesn't Always Work

Reading Reflection #9
Melissa Elizalde
Section A01
May 25th, 2014

    A Response to "Why I love my strict Chinese mom"
by: Mandy Stadtmiller

        This week I had the opportunity to read Mandy Stadtmiller's article detailing Sophia Chua-Rubenfeld's response to the criticism her mother received after writing an article on why Chinese moms are superior. Among the topics we've discussed in this class, I think this one is the most interesting. I am deeply interested in the Tiger Mom phenomenon and I think this article did a good job detailing this phenomenon from the viewpoint of a child. One of the first ideas that caught my eye was the fact that Amy Chua, like many other Chinese mothers, did not let her child have a childhood. I can't imagine having my childhood pre-planned for me without the ability to grow and discover my own interests. Sophia Chua gave an interesting response to said criticism by saying that her mother's parenting techniques actually allowed her to be independent. I personally don't think that this type of parenting allows for independent thinking but Sophia's opinion did allow me to critically think about where independent thinking actually comes from. Another interesting opinion that Sophia discussed was the fact that creativity takes effort. I would agree with this idea but I believe that initial creativity does not need effort, it should be fostered from within. Lastly I would like to comment on Sophia's idea that living life to the fullest means pushing yourself to your limits. I personally disagree with this idea and believe that living life to the fullest is about helping others, not yourself. Although I didn't agree with most of the opinions that Sophia Chua gave, it was nonetheless interesting to observe this phenomenon from a young adult's perspective. 



Question 1: What are your opinions on the Tiger Mom phenomenon? Do you agree with this parenting style? Why or why not?
Question 2: Would you describe your mom as a Tiger Mom? Why or why not?

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