As an Asian, I am familiar with the term ‘Tiger Parenting’. It is a stereotypical way of parenting for Asian people in America and refers to a very stern and authoritative parenting style designed to push children to be high achievers who excel academically.

These types of parents believe that it is their obligation and responsibility to establish their children’s success in education. This way of living is prevalent in Asian households as it is influenced by Asian culture norms such as Confucianism, Daoism and Buddhism. Although it is a fear based approach and includes strict guidelines regarding behaviors, tiger parents still provide warmth and support to their children, and they may show this by accompanying their children to do their homework and making sure they understand the concepts.

Firstly, how did tiger parents come about? Amy Chua, a Yale law professor who is a mother to two daughters, coined the term ‘tiger parenting’. She is of Chinese heritage and practices this type of parenting on her own daughters. They are not allowed to watch television, play computer games, have sleepovers, have play dates as well as receive a grade below an A in any of their classes. The motivation behind this parenting style for her is that she didn’t want her daughter to adapt to the western culture. Raising her children in an unfamiliar country, she was scared her daughters would lose touch with their Chinese culture and traditions.

Amy Chua also argues that her Chinese heritage has had a great influence on the ways she parents her children. The concept of ‘Tiger Parenting’ originated from the teachings of Confucius. According to the fifth-century philosopher, three out of the five fundamental relationships for humans are between the father and son, husband and wife as well as the elder and younger. Because these relationships are associated with family, education is considered to be a family business for most Chinese families. Although of course children are responsible for their own educational success, Chinese parents believe that their parenting styles play a big role in the outcomes of their children’s education.

According to Confucius, education is a process of constant self improvement and the key to improving one’s socioeconomic status. Higher education is seen as a symbol of status and power, therefore, it is crucial for children in Chinese families to excel academically. Immigrant parents usually depend on this belief more as they usually move to the West to provide their children with more opportunities and a better future. Thus, there is a higher expectation for their children to do well and take advantage of these opportunities that their parents did not have access to.

Learning more about ‘Tiger Parenting’, we are able to conclude that these parents ultimately mean well and want the best for their children. This can be seen through the benefits of ‘tiger parenting’. The children of these strict parents usually end up adopting a strong work ethic and self-discipline which is very beneficial to them especially when they start to work and earn money for themselves. Throughout their lives, they will become very focused in their activities and very ambitious in life. These children may then be better off financially in life as they will have a higher chance of success.

However, ‘tiger parents’ negatively impact their children too. Children whose parents have adopted the tiger parenting style have grown up to develop problems. For example, children grow up and find it difficult to make decisions on their own. With their parents always guiding them to academic success, they tend to depend on their parents in making decisions. They may also develop anxiety, low self esteem and depression from the lack of a loving environment. As a result of this, a fear of making mistakes and disappointing their parents may also be established.

In spite of all this, the popular perception that children with ‘tiger parents’ always achieve academic success is not entirely true. It has actually been found that some children with supportive parents receive a higher GPA than children who grew up with ‘tiger parents’. The students with the highest GPA and supportive parents do not develop mental health problems and experience the least amount of alienation from their parents. Thus, the idea that ‘tiger parenting’ always produces top students in school is not entirely true. From this, we can conclude that parents do not need to adopt such a harsh parenting style in order for their children to achieve academic success in school.

Tiger Parenting in Asian Cultures

Sources

InSight Scoop