Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother. By Amy Chua

After I watched ACA last night about "Proper parenting or wrongly raised?" with Amy Chua, it raised my childhood memory. My dad was so strict with us. What's her secret, her methods, and her expectations were exactly the same as what my dad did! Oh My Goodness, I can't believe it but it's true! 

I am Asian and grew up in a hectic Jakarta, Indonesia. The importance of academic achievement is very important for my parents. However, I have lived in Australia now and I do appreciate the beauty of the parent-children relationship in this culture that I never experienced as a child.

Here are some her stories from her book, "Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother". By Amy Chua.

Her secret: no playdates, no sleepover, no TV or computer games, no school plays, no unnecessary extracurricular activities

Her expectations: No grade below A, perfect performance on the piano or violin, be on top of all classes except gym and drama.

Her methods: 3 hours of music practice each day, work, practice, drill 10 times as long as Western parents

Her reward: it works!

But let us take a look further as to how she compares these 2 parenting models:

“Western” model	“Chinese” model
Kids should have fun in learning, thus stressing on getting good grades is not good	Kids are “ordered” to get straight A’s; academically successful kids come from successful parenting
Parents are politically correct when criticizing (e.g. “you tried your best”)	Parents use direct, tough language when criticizing (e.g. “you are lazy/worthless/a disgrace”)
Parents worry about kids’ self-esteem, assume fragility, tend to reassure	Parents do not worry about kids’ psyche, assume strength, expect perfection
Kids do not owe their parents anything	Kids are forever indebted to their parents
Kids are encouraged to be individuals, make their choices and pursue their interest	Kids’ desires and preferences are overridden because parents know what is best for their kids

During those childhood days, I was complaining why I can't be what I want, why do I always need to follow what dad said, why this ... why that...????? 

My dad always said to me, 1 day when I grow up, I will understand what he meant!

Honestly, I don't regret it at all now. I'm very happy what I achieved now. 

Well, both of the parenting models has its pros and cons and of course every parent loves their kids just as much. They just show it in different ways.