Tiger Parenting Gone Wrong
Last year I read Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother by Chinese-American author Amy Chua, a book that received an abundance of attention in the media and caused a national debate over parenting. In it she describes her position as a “tiger mother,” one who raises her children in an extremely strict environment in order to foster academic success. Her book could have been written about my family.
Back in Vietnam my parents did not have the privileges that my brother and I have had, therefore they hold us to very high standards so that we will be successful in their adopted country. Just like Amy Chua, my parents have exacting values and are often critical of my brother and I. They believe that having fun or doing something to expand our creativity is useless and that pursuing our …show more content…
I was always the weird, awkward, quiet kid that no one wanted to talk to, because I was entirely focused on my academic goals. Once high school started I became overwhelmed just trying to fit in. As the first year went on, I tried so hard to fit in with the cool kids that I let my grades slip. Once my parents saw my report card things really took a bad turn. My mother couldn’t control her anger and I was caught in a web full of disappointment. My mother’s furious insults to me cut me like knives. My father ran into my room, trying to calm my mom down, as I sat there curled into a ball, devastated. I could see the anger and disappointment in my father’s eyes as well, as he pulled my mother away from me. Her anger was aimed at me every day and every night for two years and this took a toll on my emotional and physical well-being. My parents would look at me in disgust. I quit every extracurricular activity that I had earlier enjoyed. The anger and sadness over my parents’ disappointment caused me to become
Last year I read Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother by Chinese-American author Amy Chua, a book that received an abundance of attention in the media and caused a national debate over parenting. In it she describes her position as a “tiger mother,” one who raises her children in an extremely strict environment in order to foster academic success. Her book could have been written about my family.
Back in Vietnam my parents did not have the privileges that my brother and I have had, therefore they hold us to very high standards so that we will be successful in their adopted country. Just like Amy Chua, my parents have exacting values and are often critical of my brother and I. They believe that having fun or doing something to expand our creativity is useless and that pursuing our …show more content…
I was always the weird, awkward, quiet kid that no one wanted to talk to, because I was entirely focused on my academic goals. Once high school started I became overwhelmed just trying to fit in. As the first year went on, I tried so hard to fit in with the cool kids that I let my grades slip. Once my parents saw my report card things really took a bad turn. My mother couldn’t control her anger and I was caught in a web full of disappointment. My mother’s furious insults to me cut me like knives. My father ran into my room, trying to calm my mom down, as I sat there curled into a ball, devastated. I could see the anger and disappointment in my father’s eyes as well, as he pulled my mother away from me. Her anger was aimed at me every day and every night for two years and this took a toll on my emotional and physical well-being. My parents would look at me in disgust. I quit every extracurricular activity that I had earlier enjoyed. The anger and sadness over my parents’ disappointment caused me to become