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November Asset of the Month: Positive Cultural Identity
Youth feels comfortable with and proud of their identity, including but not limited to ability, status, body size, ethnicity, faith/religion, family status, gender, gender expression, gender identity, immigration status, language, race, and sexual orientation.
Stephanie Chen, YAC Active Member
There’s a term called “tiger mom”, which is when a typically Asian mom or parent uses a strict
parenting style that pushes the child to excel (mostly at academics) at all costs. In China, this is
expected of a parent and is part of the Chinese parenting culture. My parents grew up under the
influence of “tiger parents'', naturally causing them to inherit those practices and use them on me. So,
from the second I was born, my prep for college and academics began. As I entered elementary school,
I didn’t get to play with my friends as often as other parents allowed them to. While my friends were at
the park, I was completing math practice sheets at home. To third grade me, this was an
earth-shattering life problem. To my parents, though, this was just a normal style of parenting. One
day, I suddenly asked my mom, “Why can’t we be like a real American family?” Back then, I was
referring to “American” as fitting the American norm of not being so hard on academics and being
more focused on entertainment. As I grew, I realized the gravity of what I’d said. It struck me that the older I got, the prouder and more appreciative of my tiger parents and how they raised me. I began to work with more purpose and enjoyment of learning. I recognized that not only was this tough love, but this was also a part of my culture, and all of it was for my benefit.
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