What’s your parenting style? Many parents use the same parenting style that they were raised in. It is comfortable, familiar, and fits their cultural background. Parents also strive to raise their children in a way that will teach them to become successful, self-sufficient, adults.
Sometimes, it turns out that a particular parenting style is not as advantageous as people might assume. A study found that the “Tiger Mother” type of parenting is not helpful (and might do more harm than good).
What is a “Tiger Mother”? The Macmillian Dictionary defines it as: a very strict mother who makes her children work particularly hard and restricts their free time so that they continually achieve the highest grades. In the United States, the term “Tiger Mom” might be used, while in the UK the phrase may be “Tiger Mum”. The various articles that mention “Tiger Moms” indicate that it is a common parenting style for Chinese parents to use.
A study was done that took a look at how Chinese parent’s strict parenting style influenced their children’s outlook. Researchers surveyed around 600 Chinese middle school and high school students.
The students were asked questions. They were asked about their perception of the behavior of their mothers and fathers. They were asked about their own self-esteem, school adjustment, depression, and minor problem behaviors.
This particular study is called Parenting Behaviors, Adolescent Depressive Symptoms, and Problem Behavior. It took five years. It was run by UC Riverside researcher Cixin Wang.
What did the research reveal? Cixin Wang said “Parental support leads to more positive outcomes. Parental punitiveness leads to negative outcomes, not only in terms of more depressive symptoms but more problem behaviors.”
In other words, the “Tiger Mother” style of parenting can lead to problems if the parents are too controlling or too punitive. It makes it more likely for their children to develop emotional problems. On the other hand, an overly permissive parenting style can also lead to negative outcomes.
She indicated that parents in China do not want their children to become arrogant, and that they are less likely to show love or affection for their children in public. The key point seems to be that it is ok to be have high expectations for your children so long as it isn’t delivered through controlling or punitive measures. It is also very important for children to feel love, affection, and support from their parents.
Image by Art G. on Flickr.
Related Articles:
* Somewhere in the Strict Zone?
* Can You Be Too Strict With Teens?
* What Does Strict Parenting Look Like?