Tiger Mom

The term ‘tiger mom’ has caught the attention of the entire world in recent years. It is a term describing a parenting style which uses strict rules and harsh punishment to nurture children. It first appears in the book, Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother which is written by Amy Chua, a Chinese American. This book has triggered a considerable debate around the globe since its release. Scholars and parents share one common question, ‘Does good academic performance of students necessarily related to tiger parenting?’ In recent years, Asian students perform dazzling results in different international competitions. In contrast, the American and European students seem to be lagging behind. The reasons behind their success are therefore the key to

They adopt strict rules and have high expectation to them. Children have to strictly follow the schedule every day under supervision without wasting any time on worthless. This is particularly important to children because they can be easily distracted by the outside and cannot concentrate on their work. On account of this, they may delay their work which is the consequence of lack of discipline. If parents do not lead them to the right track, they will develop the practice of procrastinating at their works in the long term. Thus, parents’ guide is essential for them to build up a good routine of having everything planned. According to ‘Effective discipline for children’ (2004), in order to promote effective discipline, parents should set rules and apply them consistently. It will develop into self-discipline ultimately. The article also states that “Children raised without reasonable limits will have difficulty adjusting socially”. Therefore, if a time limit is set by parents for their children to finish all the homework within two hours, otherwise, punishment will be given. For this reason, an effort will be made to finish their works within the time range to avoid punishment. Gradually, the children will learn to maintain good time management and keep it as a habit. With the practice of following schedule, children will gradually become more disciplined in their own

Indeed, tiger parenting adopts high-handed means to nurture their children. However, it does not tilt to one side that the parents disregard their infants’ achievements. In tiger parents’ educating strategies, rewards are also one of the indispensable elements. In the light of Kim’s (2013) research, tiger parenting and authoritarian parenting are alike. Yet, there are minor differences between them. Tiger parents apply both positive and negative strategies. Hence, tiger parents are not only suppressing their children, but they also provide them with care and respect. In spite of praising the children whatever they come across, it is important to let them experience some frustrations. Parents who simply give laud to their children will make them become arrogant and ignore their weakness which eventually forms obstacles towards improvement. To achieve better performance, students should understand both their strengths and weaknesses. Tiger parents arranged different classes for them is, in turn, offered an opportunity for them to know more about the world and have clear understanding about their ability. Therefore, the students can learn to be humble and are willing to receive opinions from others. Instead of hurting children’s self-confidence, tiger parenting can help to adjust the