Tiger Mom Western Parenting Style

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Abstract Amy Chua introduced the concept of “Tiger mom” in her book Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother (Chua, 2011). She described the hyper-parenting style she used with her daughters, analyzing it and comparing it to the Western parenting styles. Many studies have been conducted to determine which type of parenting is the best for their children best academic success, extracurricular activities performance, and social interaction among themselves and with adults. A clear and definite answer has not been stated yet, as it depends on the child, her temperament, and their parents. A study conducted by Queens University showed the relation between hyper-parenting styles and a lack of physical activity in children between 7 and 12 years old. …show more content…

The term “tiger mom” was first used by Yale professor Amy Chua in Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother in 2011 (Chua, 2011). Since then, the term has been used in further studies and has become popular culture. According to the Oxford Dictionary, tiger mom is “A strict or demanding mother who pushes her children to high levels of achievement, using methods regarded as typical of childrearing in China and other parts of East Asia”. Amy Chua explained the difference between Asian and Western parenting styles, arguing why Tiger mom parenting was better than the Western styles. Tiger mom is a common parenting style in Asia, where the moms demand perfect grades and a mastery of musical instruments. Some methods explained by Amy Chua in this type have been seen a bit controversial. In her book, she explained how she reduced significantly her daughters’ social interactions and how they could only stop playing the piano when they had mastered the piece they were performing. Also, she suggested Western parenting style was too permissive with their …show more content…

Parenting styles such as Tiger mom can influence the relationships between their children and their physical activity (or inactivity). Queens College conducted a research “explaining Asian Americans’ academic advantage over whites” (Hsin and Xie, 2014). They found out that the Asian students getting greater grades were due to their effort in doing so, instead of any cognitive or socio-demographic advantage over their mates. Students were interviewed in kindergarten and in first, third, fifth and eighth grades. They analyzed their Grade Point Average (GPA) in schools where the students were in the same environment and therefore, same facilities, sources and teachers. One of their findings were that the difference between Asian and White students GPA was due to their effort for their academic success, rather than cognitive advantages in either group. Asian students were over the White students in almost all the grades. However, there was a clear difference in their motivation and effort for getting good