ASA 2 A01
Week 2
I found the reading on tiger moms by
Poon and Byrd to be quite interesting as it backs up a phenomenon with
statistical data. However, I would disagree with Poon on the idea that “Tiger
Mom” style parenting is an American stereotype of Chinese parenting. Having
grown up in China, I have seen firsthand the lengths that Chinese parents will
go to maximize their children’s chances of going to a prestigious university.
Beyond lengthy hours of revisions, parents have also bought property in an area
simply because it meant their child could go to the better primary or secondary
school. On the other end of the spectrum are my parents, who hold strong
traditional Chinese values and didn’t go to college, but spent a significant
amount of time in America. Their approach to my education, relative to my
peers, was a bit more laissez-faire in that they didn’t force me into any
activities. Instead the role of the tiger mom was filled by my sister as she
went through the academic process and graduated from UC Berkeley. Without her
pushing me, I probably wouldn’t have ended up at UC Davis. While I am not as
knowledgeable on South East Asian culture, I think a great driver in East Asian
parental pressure on academic success, aside from general parental concern,
would be the idea of “face”. In addition, it may originate from an underlying
fear that as a transplant without strong roots in the country, they need to
enter the areas of what America considers “successful” to solidify their place
in the country.
Question: Will the "Tiger Mom" parenting style become more intense or relaxed as time goes on?
References:
Gao,
Kathy. “Chinese ‘Tiger Mum’ Makes Her Son, Aged 9, Study for 16 Hours Every
Day.” South China Morning Post, 4 Mar. 2016, Chinese ‘tiger mum’
makes her son, aged 9, study for 16 hours every day.
Poon,
O., & Byrd, A. (2013). Beyond Tiger Mom Anxiety: Ethnic, Gender and
Generational Differences in Asian American College Access and Choices. Journal
of College Admission, 22-31. Retrieved October 1, 2017.
I think 'education' as a modern day value is not to be underestimated. It also runs across many ethnic/racial groups to possibly demystify that it is only as an Asian or Chinese cultural value. I agree that there is something to the "tiger mom" stereotype in general although the reasons vary and are complex.
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