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Jacqueline Chan Instructor: Malcolm Campbell English 1103 9-10-12 Topic Proposal: Tiger Mom or Soccer Mom Introduction/Overview I will be analyzing the differing values and styles of Chinese parenting in the United States and how their styles have assimilated to American-style parenting. After the release of the book Tiger Mom, Chinese parents have received much criticism regarding the traditional methods as to how to raise a child. In this day and age, many American-born Chinese are discovering that the old style of reprimand is not accepted well by their children and even the parents of other children. Therefore, they have begun to change to blend better with other parents by loosening the rules and allowing more freedom to their children. As the strict rules begin to fade, the stereotype of Chinese children fades with them. Many people believe that Asians are better at math and just plain smarter. However, these skills are not simply inherited. Many learn discipline and good self-control, which results in a stronger focus on education and ultimately better grades than many other students. For many first generation Chinese-Americans, the assimilation is not quite this simple. As their parents move to America in search of better futures, the children suffer the consequences of being the transition. They are placed between obeying strict parents who grew up with an intense household and the more liberal parenting styles of the average American. How does this position in society affect the child? Does it affect their academic status? Does it influence the social aspects of their lives? Many parents simply believe that it is their duty to

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control the fate of their children. To prove this, Professor Ortega from the University of Kansas conducted a survey, which studied the relationship between connections to an ethnic community and controlling their children. The study states that mothers who reported higher levels of ethnic cultural connection also felt more in control of their childrens behavior and did not feel as thought their children dominated their lives. My preliminary research brought me to two articles on the librarys database that relates to the cultural difference between parenting styles of first generation Chinese parents and those who were born in the United States themselves. The first article is titled Acculturation and Adjustment Among Immigrant Chinese Parents: Mediating Role of Parenting Efficacy, which attempts to find the balance between adjusting to this culture and maintaining pieces of how they were raised. The second article is titled The Mediating Role of Perceived Parental warmth and Parental Punishment in the Psychological Well-Being of Children in Rural China, which acts as a antithesis to the previous article in that it finds the importance in the traditional parenting styles of rural China. Though these are both scholarly articles, there have been other resources that I have accessed. Because I am a member of this evolving culture, there are many mothers and fathers who have been born in America themselves or in China that I can communicate with in order to get a firsthand account of the struggles of both the parents and their children. The criticism of Amy Chua has made many Chinese mothers reconsider their style in which they are raising their children. The fact is that Chinese parents can do things that would seem unimaginableeven legally actionableto Westerners. Chinese mothers can say to their daughters, "Hey fattylose some weight. This quote from Amy Chuas article for the Wall Street Journal describes the side of the argument in which her adamant determination to maintain the strict rules in her family can clash with other parenting styles. This argument can be heard in

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the Starbucks around the corner or even in a doctoral thesis. Everyone can research parenting and everyone has their own opinions and methods as to how to be a good parent. Initial Inquiry Question How does the acculturation of Chinese parenting to American parenting styles affect the child and the culture in which they will grow up? My Interest in this Topic I am fascinated by the acculturation of Chinese parents to American parenting styles because this is topic directly effects me. Many of my friends and I were all born in America, thus, we are considered first generation Chinese. However, the expectations of the home country are still upon us. It is difficult to explain why my parents forced me to practice piano and violin every day to my friends at school. The culture behind my success is difficult to communicate to others. However, this culture is slowly disappearing. I can see in the other children from the group of American-born Chinese in Charlotte that the harsh parenting style of the immigrant mentality is slowly degrading and perhaps disappearing altogether. I am interested to find out how this change is occurring and whether or not this change will completely eradicate the Asian stereotype. I hope to learn about differing parenting styles of each culture and compare them in an attempt to understand if the strict Chinese style parenting can exist in a culture where children control their own destinies. Next Steps My next step is to read all the articles I found from the librarys database. There have been extensive numbers of articles written about parenting and its effects on children. In order to find the articles and books that are most appropriate, I hope the librarians can help me narrow down my search appropriately. My next step would be to talk to actual parents of young children

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who were born outside of China and what they expect from their children in this different culture. Then, compare it to the responses I receive from parents that have immigrated from China and find the major differences between the two.