

Spend time getting to know your child: Life can get busy.

If your children trust and feel safe with you, they are more like to come to you when they need help and support. When you provide a safer environment for your child to share their frustrations, you can build trust with them. Instead of assuming they did something wrong, practice patience, allow them to express themselves, ask them questions, and validate their emotions. Don’t jump to discipline when your child has a problem: Take the time to listen to your child and understand what is going on for them on a mental and emotional level.Emotional intelligence, creativity, critical thinking, self-determination, relationship-building, and other soft skills are not seen as important in the mission to success. Examples include becoming a doctor or lawyer, getting straight-As, making lots of money, and winning competitions. Success is defined as achievements: Tiger parents define success based on power and status and how much honor they can bring to the family.It is expected that the tiger parents’ dreams are also the child’s dreams. Tiger parents have no patience and/or desire to understand and get to know the child’s personality, thoughts, feelings, and perspective as a unique individual. There is no emphasis on self-regulation or independent thought. The child is raised to make decisions based on the approval of their parents. Lack of autonomy for the child: Tiger parents have full control over their child’s life.This may mean throwing away their favorite toys deliberately in front of them, not giving them meals, hitting, yelling, name-calling and belittling. If the child disagrees, they are disciplined with emotional threats and/or corporal punishment. Children cannot talk back to their elders and/or challenge their opinions. Fear-based approach: Tiger parents are in a position of authority.

In order to meet these high expectations, children spend almost all their time dedicated to schoolwork, studying, practicing, and participating in extracurricular activities that increase their chances of getting accepted into a prestigious university. If a child fails, they are reprimanded for bringing shame to the family.
