Amy Chua's book will be a bestseller. I say this even though I haven't read it.
Her "Tiger Mother" is stirring the pot here in Silicon Valley as the large population of Asian immigrants debate whether she is typical or an aberration reinforcing stereotypes. But Tiger Mother is also stirring the schools, and the high tech companies that call Silicon Valley home; Google, Apple, Yahoo!, Applied Materials, Intel, AMD, etc.
I already see the implications of extreme parenting every day. Before Tiger Mothers there were Helicopter Parents. I have 20-somethings who won't complete tasks without explicit instructions, I have 30-somethings asking me if they are "doing it right" and everyone argues with me during performance reviews. Criticism of any sort is not accepted.
And it's not as if I'm highly critical. My most common comment is "I need you to be more of a self starter". That's hardly a devastating remark. What I really want to say, but don't is, "You need to figure more stuff out for yourself."
Bottom line: extreme parents aren't doing their kids or the American economy any favors by doing everything for them.
Her "Tiger Mother" is stirring the pot here in Silicon Valley as the large population of Asian immigrants debate whether she is typical or an aberration reinforcing stereotypes. But Tiger Mother is also stirring the schools, and the high tech companies that call Silicon Valley home; Google, Apple, Yahoo!, Applied Materials, Intel, AMD, etc.
I already see the implications of extreme parenting every day. Before Tiger Mothers there were Helicopter Parents. I have 20-somethings who won't complete tasks without explicit instructions, I have 30-somethings asking me if they are "doing it right" and everyone argues with me during performance reviews. Criticism of any sort is not accepted.
And it's not as if I'm highly critical. My most common comment is "I need you to be more of a self starter". That's hardly a devastating remark. What I really want to say, but don't is, "You need to figure more stuff out for yourself."
Bottom line: extreme parents aren't doing their kids or the American economy any favors by doing everything for them.
