Tiger Mom

A few years ago an article was published in the Wall Street Journal titled,

“Why Chinese Mothers are Superior.”

Almost instantly the title, ‘Tiger Mom’ become a household staple. The author Amy Chua compared mothers in the west to mothers in the east. Whether you agreed with it or not, it brought about a nationwide debate. What I found fascinating was her comment on self-esteem. I am paraphrasing, but Chua in so many words said…

‘mothers in the west try to teach self-esteem while mothers in the east expect self-esteem.’

Some parents worry that the teachers are being too hard on their child. They call and write coaches with concerns when their child isn’t playing enough. Some parents believe that everyone should win and take home a ribbon. I nearly croaked a few years back when an article in the paper was talking about how teachers were going to use purple pens to grade their student’s papers because red seemed too harsh on a child’s self-esteem.

‘What is going to happen when the real world hits and no one is there to pick up the pieces?

We are going to see a generation of young adults not knowing how to cope with failure.

Believe in the resiliency of your children and let them fail. Does this mean you leave them high and dry during these hard times? No. You support them, you listen to them, you love them, but ultimately you give them the power to solve their own problems. Failure is a part of life and if handled correctly one of the greatest gifts we can be given.

For more parenting read my book, The Parenting Backpack.