Editor's note:

Amy Chua, the famous Tiger Mother, and her sensational book, "Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother"  sent shockwaves through Western world with controversial views on child raising. Here we look at what parents in the West have been doing and will do. We have gathered opinions from leading commentators and experts in this field and also welcome the views of our readers who would like to comment on this hot topic.

Aftermath of Tiger Mother

Aftermath of Tiger MotherNo sleepovers

No playdates

No grade lower than an A on report cards

No choosing your own extracurricular activities

No ranking lower than No. 1 in any subject

Aftermath of Tiger Mother

Aftermath of Tiger Mother

Aftermath of Tiger Mother

 



 

Aftermath of Tiger MotherStrong aversion to hard-driving “Tiger” parenting

Tiger Mother's parenting equals : traditional Chinese+ immigrant striving+type A-drive+Ivy League elitism




Aftermath of Tiger Mother

Aftermath of Tiger Mother

Aftermath of Tiger Mother

Toby Young:
A strict upbringing might actually bring more self esteem.(Guardian)
 
Sophia:
They assume Lulu and I are oppressed by our evil mother. That is so not true.
 
Reader: Spare the rod, spoil the child
The West should also accept that their way in doing things may be good for them, but they cannot apply it worldwide. (China Daily website)

Aftermath of Tiger Mother

Oliver Jame:
I am sure this was because their creativity had been systematically destroyed and in its place, a survival pragmatism installed.(Guardian)
 
Huang Hung:
Young Chinese mothers in Beijing and Shanghai are embracing more enlightened Western ideas. (Daily Beast)
 
Reader: Character building is important
Tiger moms and dads should raise their kids to be well-adjusted, responsible members of society, not little emperors. (China Daily website)

Aftermath of Tiger Mother

Aftermath of Tiger Mother

More and more parents are buying houses in areas close to "the best schools" as they go to extreme lengths to ensure their children are in a prime position for success in education, according to a research by the University of Sydney. The belief (Anglo-Australians hold) that "bright children will do well at any school" has been replaced with intense efforts to put one's own children into selective schools,, said a report by the Sydney Morning Herald.

 
Aftermath of Tiger Mother

Pupils as young as four are being administered up to six years worth of preparation for their secondary school entrance tests as competition for grammar schools – state-funded secondary schools – has become ever fiercer. A study suggested nearly half of the families paid private tutors to prepare their children for the tests and another 30 percent coached them at home, according to a report by the Telegraph.

Aftermath of Tiger Mother

A study published by the Bertlsmann Foundation, Germany’s largest private non-profit foundation, in 2010 said that more than 1.1 million primary and middle school students in Germany regularly attend tutoring classes outside their schools and the parents have to pay as much as 1.5 billion euro every year. 
 

Aftermath of Tiger Mother

5% of the French students go into classe préparatoire aux grandes écoles (part of French post-secondary education, acting as prep course or cram school from higher education enrolment) for two years which prepare to the entrance exams of prestigious schools, like École Normale Supérieure, HEC Paris, École polytechnique or Télécom ParisTech.

Aftermath of Tiger Mother

In a 2009 report, the National Association for College Admission Counseling estimated the private test preparation market in the market is worth as much as $ 4 billion. The market is growing rapidly and is expected to expand further.

Aftermath of Tiger Mother

After a decade's "liberalization" - i.e. reducing homework and class schedule for students - in primary education, Japanese parents are more and more worried about their children's declining academic performance and the Japanese government is reconsidering this strategy.

Aftermath of Tiger Mother

Aftermath of Tiger Mother

America's fear of decline 

Chua plays into America's fear of national decline. Here's a Chinese parent working really hard (and, by the way, there are a billion more of her) and her kids are going to crush ours. Furthermore, she is not really rebelling against American-style parenting; she is the logical extension of the prevailing elite practices. She does everything over-pressuring upper-middle-class parents are doing. She’s just hard core.(David Brooks)

Aftermath of Tiger Mother






Mirrors the "Tiger economies" of Asia


If Chua's tale has any significance—and it may not—it is as an allegory. Tiger people are “powerful, authoritative, and magnetic,” she informs us, just as tigers that walk on four legs inspire “fear and respect.” The “tiger economies” of Asia aren’t mentioned in the book, but they growl menacingly in the background. (Elizabeth Kolbert)

Aftermath of Tiger Mother

 

 

 
Inferiority complex with China

I suspect, like Paul Whitefield, that the obsession is pegged to our inferiority complex with China. China might soon become a global superpower, with more money, environmental resources, military muscle and international allies, but we'll be darned if their kids are better than ours. (Alexandra Le Tellier)