Extreme Parenting

Just read this article about parenting Extreme Parenting and I think it's just that -- Extreme! In some ways, as sick as it may sound, I totally understand the need to discipline your children and to get them to have better grades and to excel in life. I guess deep down, these Tiger Moms and  Wolf Dads just want the best for their kids and hopefully through these methods of theirs, they hope to secure a good future for their children. Being Asian doesn’t help either since we have the “always want to win” syndrome or “kiasu” as it is popularly known here in Malaysia and even in Singapore.

I sometimes feel this way too, kiasu… but then I look back at the way I was brought up and I think “hey, I didn’t turn out so bad!”. And it’s true. I may not be the brightest apple in the basket but I have pretty decent job and I have a fulfilling life. I may not have gotten any scholarships {apart from a student exchange one that didn’t quite need us to have excellent grades, and book scholarships and partial ones to study aboard} but I learnt heaps about growing up and about people. I have not excelled at sports or music or art or in studies and etc. {the list is too long for this} but I played in the park with my friends, cycled around the neighborhood, stayed up late to watch tv, had imaginary games of “masak masak” {cooking} with my dolls and had a lovely childhood. 

When I was growing up, I was allowed to go to parties, hangout at friends houses, go to shopping complexes, movies, bowling and all sorts of fun things. In college, I freelanced for magazines, hungout till the sun came up, drank, kissed, partied, laughed, loved, dated, went for trips and lived.

I guess that’s the crux of it. I lived.

I lived. I breathed. I held life with two hands.

I didn’t sit on the sidelines and watch as the world went by and others lived and breathed and danced.

I am not reckless don’t get me wrong but I did things and for the most part, I never regretted the things that I did. They shaped me to be the woman I am today…

And for all these experiences that I have been through, I

 thank my non-tiger/wolf parents 

for giving me the freedom to experiencing it all.

Thank you ma and pa.

I love the both of you very much.

XOXO 

Seen @ DW's pinterest collection