ABSTRACT
Chapter 5 tackles the theme of the Chinese parenting style. In the conversation, Joy’s mom asks Joy why she and her brother didn’t call her and complains that Joy and her brother don’t care about her and their dad. She also asks Joy a lot of questions about her brother’s girlfriend, such as what kind of girl she is, how she looks, what her personality is, which university she graduated from, what she studied in college, what she does now, and where her parents were from. Joy asks her mom not to worry too much, but her mom wants to connect with them on Facebook so that she can know more about their lives. Joy doesn’t know how to say no, so she changes the topic at the end of the conversation. The text of this chapter starts with some rules that Amy Chua (known as “Tiger Mom”) set for her daughters. Then, it discusses the pressures that Chinese children experienced. These pressures result from Chinese parents’ comparisons of their kids with others and the sacrifices they made to send their kids to a good school. But unfortunately, such kind of care and love become a burden to the kids.
