Tiger Moms

     It has come to my attention that many people are interested about tiger moms.  In the book I am reading, Bitter Melon, by Cara Chow, the main character faces a tiger mom.  Tiger moms are usually referred to as chinese parents that push their children to get the best grades, by limiting social interaction, having long nights of studying, and obeying the parents.  They can be very hard to satisfy and many people today who had to experience this are now in therapy.  It's hard to just tell you about it, but Frances, the main character of my book gives great examples of the kind of lifestyle.
      For example, when Frances  was younger, her mother had her wear a jade bracelet, which brings health, according to the Chinese religion.  Because the bracelet dug into her skin when she wrote, and clanged into things, Frances had changed her writing hand.  But when her mother caught her, she told Frances that she'd have to eat the bracelet unless she used her regular hand.  In the book, Frances had said, "I had a difficult time that year, unable to reach things with my left hand, and unable to make noise with my right."  As said in my previous post, Frances' tiger mom wants her to go to UC Berkeley to become a medical doctor and buy a house they can live in together.  Although this is not what Frances wants at all, she knows her mother will possibly beat her if she does not work as hard as she can in school so that she can get into the college.  Another example was that even though Frances won in her speech competition, her mother beat her with her own trophy because she didn't take the calculus class instead.  And when Derek wanted to ask Frances to the dance, her mother picked up the phone and said Frances didn't live there.  Later, she told Frances she was ugly, and that's why no boy would ever want to be with her.  These are just a few examples of life with a tiger mom.  The results can be hard to bear.  For example,  Frances didn't understand the concept of unconditional love because her mother never loved her just for who she was.
     In conclusion, tiger moms can be very hard to satisfy and often limit any social interactions.  In Frances' case, her mom insulted her and made her feel bad about herself so that she would give up on things like boys.  Though some may ask, "Why doesn't Frances just stand up against her mom?" the truth is that it would be very insulting to the parents.  In Chinese culture, the parents are always right and to say that they are wrong, they "lose face" and their high position in the family.  However, I believe that standing up or getting help from others is the only way to stop such a hard way of life.  I hope that one day, this way of living will not be as popular.  It can cause both anger in the parents and children, and leave them scarred.  This book has really touched my heart and has had me get a much better understanding of the ways of some Chinese families.  When I see people making fun of asians because of the stereotypes that they are unsocial and too smart, I want to remind them that there may be a reason for that, such as have tiger moms.  I hope that other who read this book, will open their minds to social justice and treating everyone the way they should be.