Angry Mothers

Don Kaing
Section A01
Reflection #10: In response to: "Angry Little Asian Girl"

The document contains a series of comic strips that depict an angry Asian mother who is yelling at her young daughter. Despite at first glance one may think, "Well gee, a mother shouldn't yell and discourage their children like that. That is not good parenting," this is indeed false and a generalization of how all mothers should act. In fact, in many Asian cultures, children, especially the female, are brought up to be very strict and obedient towards their parents and elders. They are not strict just for the sole purpose of being strict. Instead, think of it as just another way of parenting. It is a good way of parenting, in fact, as children at a young age are instilled good morals and values. They are taught to respect their elders and find something worthy of their lives.
Although some people may consider it harsh, many traditional Asian households have this form of parenting. Again, it is not to hurt the child, but rather, it is to benefit the child. In the comic, the "Angry Asian Mother" is yelling at her daughter because she cares and genuinely loves her daughter. She is just depicted and perceived as ruthless from the outside point of view, but in reality, it seems like she contradicts her statements to her daughter a lot, because she is at a loss for words. She cares so much that all she wants from her daughter is to be successful. She is not mean. She cares. That's how many Asian mothers, including myself, are. But I can say that she is a very caring mother whose traditional parenting made me a better person today.