Chinese and Western parenting Models

The parenting strategy has changed over time as parents have become more engaged in the lives of their children. More extreme parenting is seen in today’s family as they try to make their children perfect in society, including in education and other social activities. According to Goldstein, tiger mums go to an extreme of denying their children TV, playdates, and other activity that seems to waste their time or not beneficial (280). The Chinese are known for practicing authority upon their children, a move that has been shown to produce results in regards to education and other fields. Children with strict parents are found to be performing better and engaged in their social activities. However, this strictness in different studies is found to have a long-term effect on the psychological condition of the child. For instance, a child’s confidence and other disorders like anxiety and depression and even suicidal thoughts.

Griego, on the other hand, discussed the value of strictness to the children, which results in obedience, hard workers, and succeeds in their lives (279). Here, strictness is defined by culture, social, and economic class as well as generational expectations. The way culture is set can dictate how serious parenting norms are impacted and shaped to the children. Therefore, extreme parenting can be generational, which has proven to be useful in retaining the children’s role in society. The children are taught ways of excelling in every area of their life, including education and creative works.

Here, children are pushed to be the best version of themselves. As a result, perfectionist parenting is likened to a double-edged sword that can also affect a child’s growth and development.

When a child grows under a perfectionist parent, they develop criticalness and focus more on their mistakes and imperfection. As stated by Eunjung Chan, ADHD symptoms are more prevalent in children with parents that are over-parenting (270). In comparison to a tiger mum, Goldstein identified some of the successful people who did not even complete their learning. For instance, Hollywood has seen uneducated people grow to be famous and wealthy. Besides, people like Mark Zuckerberg and Bill Gates change the notion of a perfectionist as they are successful individuals that never finished their college. Therefore, parents may be using strictness to surpass their failures in life.

Intrusive parenting model is demonstrated by simple deeds like a high expectation of academic performance and overreacts if the child does not meet the parent’s goals. The way a parent talks and reacts to a child gives a lot of details on the parenting strategy used (Eunjung Cha, 289). Apart from education, a parent may instill strict guidelines for games and free time for the child. If the parent is never satisfied with the result produced by a child, it may create a rift of anxiety between them. Eunjung Cha identified these characters as maladaptive perfectionism, whereby a child focuses on making perfect results (288). The child can grow to be an ideal student at school and other activities and develop to be talented at their talent. However, the tiger mum child may develop additional disorders that may reduce their growth and progress in life.

The question therefore asked is what parenting model best suites the child into growing to be successful and be the best version. At the same time, parents are concerned about whether their parenting abilities are best for their children. The culture, however, shapes the children when they grow up, and the strictness of the parent changes when they enter colleges or universities. Here, the child develops new disciplines and consciousness that is different from their parent (Griego 280). According to Griego, the role of a parent is to hold the family together and to show affection while preparing them for their future (280). Not being a tiger mum involves acknowledging mistakes and giving the children a chance to learn from their mistakes, which may bring out their best version.

Perfectionism and strictness in parenting models have a significant impact on the children: on the one end, an A student and successful career and on the other, mentally disturbed children with anxiety and become over critical of themselves. In most of the researches done where a parent is a perfectionist, it was found that while describing their child, they included “we” (Griego 280). Here, the parent is indulged in every activity the child takes, which may make the child feel overprotected and sometimes afraid of meeting expectations. According to Goldstein, there is a long list of industry leaders that did not complete their education that can also be attributed to the generation and other factors that change the course of life. As a result, the tiger mum strategy of parenting may not be the best way of raising children. It is essential to note that children are individual persons away from their parent a fact that ultimately manifest when they are separated. The outcome of either parenting strategies depends on many factors that may influence positive and negative impact on the child’s life.

 

 

Works Cited

Eunjung Cha, Ariana. “Your perfectionist parenting style may be detrimental to your child.” (2016): 287-289.

Goldstein, Patrick. “Tiger Mom Vs. Tiger Mailroom.” (2011): 280-282.

Griego, Tina. “Griego: Tiger Mother stirs reflections on parenthood.” (2011): 279-280.