| Relax. I've seen both sides of the issue - westernized Chinese guy who grew up under a Tiger Mom-esque "regime". It's really not as bad as your mind seems to be making it out to be. Also, your association between Tiger Mom styles of raising children and suicide rate is pretty specious, and if you'd pardon me for saying so, looks like an outsider with no context making wild accusations. For one thing, Tiger Mom is Chinese, and yet the suicide epidemic is largely limited to Japan. If Tiger Mom styles of raising children existed in both China and Japan, yet the suicide problem largely contained to Japan, it would seem to suggest that it is not to blame for the high suicide rate. Also, the "work like a dog, doctor making millions" vs. "great childhood, $15/hr waitress" is really a false dichotomy. Most Chinese people who grow up under a Tiger Mom environment don't end up making millions, and similarly most children who had a more liberal/free childhood don't end up busing tables. I have to say, I'm a bit disappointed in Amy Chua for being so overly sensationalistic in her book and promotion thereof. I'm not sure if her mother approves of the extreme, polarizing way in which she is being presented to the world. The typical Chinese childhood is characterized by extremely high expectations, but in and of itself it does not entail abuse or even really misery. |