Amy Chua was said to be too strict on her children. She made them play an instrument, learn a foreign language, and taught them that nothing under an A- was acceptable. They weren’t allowed to go out late on a school night, and they weren’t allowed to watch anything over the occasional PG-13. With the father being a Yale professor and the mother an ex-Yale professor, the two girls should have their futures pretty much set. But is that really all that matters, especially to a growing up teen going through adolescence? A young teen (as we think) should be able to grow up a full, fun and exciting life. One where you can go to friends’ parties on the weekends, be able to get the occasional B on a report card, and play every sport in the book. But that’s not what Chua thought, she thought her children’ life should be full of responsibility, respect and discipline. But what happens when one of the children start to rebel?

    Sophia, the younger of the two children, got the idea that the way she was growing up, her lifestyle alone was unfair and not fun. She wanted to participate in more than just piano and violin lessons, she wanted to have birthday parties where more than a few cousins could come over; basically, she wanted the normal everyday teen life. But coming from a child with two Yale professors, that wasn’t about to go over easily. They argued and tears would shed but after going on an interview with Oprah, Chua admitted that yes, she was a little harsh and thought that she could afford to be a little more lenient to the matter. She trusted her daughter enough to know that a little bit more freedom wouldn’t affect the way she was doing educationally, and her sense of common sense.  

 Lula, the older of the two daughters, was the first to grow up. Therefore, by default, she got the toughest of the parenting in being their first child. She grew up strong, disciplined and well taught. When her sister was born, she wasn’t an only child anymore, she didn’t carry the weight of an awfully well stricted parent. As for the future, that wasn’t going to be a problem because of their parent’s jobs, Yale professors; getting into college was a one way ticket. All they needed was a GPA of 4.2, a real taste of the real world and all it brings, and a good enough sense of right and wrong. But now the question is: will they be able to live on campus or are they going to be on a “close to home” basis? Whatever they answer, at least they would know that their future rested in the good hands of their parents and knew that nothing would come in harm’s way.

  Everyone has some sort of “Tiger mom” in their life whether it their mom or their dad. We all know what it’s like to go through teenage years as a young growing adolescent child and wanting everything to go their way. But in the end, we know that our parents, no matter how strict, want the absolute best for us.