
Tiger parenting is defined as a strict and highly demanding style of parenting focused on discipline, high achievement, and academic excellence. Most tiger-parenting parents belong to Asian cultures wherein children are pushed toward maximum actualisation through rigorous routines with unwavering expectations. It builds resilience and cultivates a strong work ethic but can also translate into unbearable pressure if emotionally counteracted.
To tiger parents, academic success is placed above anything else. The parents want their children to score very high and be excellent in their exams and, most importantly, be ahead of their peers. This pressure may motivate some children; however, to many, it may just be unbearable.
Children raised under tiger parenting tend to live highly rigid lives. From the hours of study to those of extracurricular practice, every minute is accounted for. In this way, the children cultivate discipline, but not much time is left over for other activities.
Tiger parents, believing that play distracts from truly productive activities, will tend to cut social outings, playtime, and screen time down to the barest minimum. In effect, kids will find themselves glued to study desks for prolonged hours in the company of books instead of freely interacting with peers and friends.
This parenting style lays emphasis on hard work over what is perceived to be innate ability. The child, according to this model, is encouraged, and at times compelled, to try and try again until he/she does succeed so that persistence and determination are reinforced.
These parents check everything about their kids, and count class effort with a keen pointer on homework. Many tiger parents work beyond just getting assignments sent on time, as they will always try to get an update on the performance of their kids.
Tiger parents rarely praise their kids; instead, they believe that praise will lead to complacency. Much effort is thereby geared toward pointing out shortfalls and areas of improvement that will put pressure on the kid to continuously get better.
This usually involves the practice of comparing children to their siblings, class fellows, or some bright achievers. The competitive nature may spur the kids on, but it will ruin their self-esteem if taken to an extreme.
While tiger parenting may yield disciplined and high-achieving children, the emotional consequences depend on the individual child. A healthier, middle-ground option would entail high aspirations tempered with empathy, encouragement, and two-way dialogue. When ambition meets emotional support, children not only thrive academically but also hit new heights in emotional and social areas of life.
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