What does 'tiger mother' mean?

32,983 views ・ 2019-10-14

BBC Learning English


Please double-click on the English subtitles below to play the video.

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Feifei: Hi Neil. Good holiday?
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Neil: Lovely, thanks. You know
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I adore the beach.
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Feifei: Your kids must have loved it too?
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Neil: Ah, they didn't come. They were
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at summer music camp.
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Feifei: That's very dedicated!
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Neil: Well, they have piano exams
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to pass, Feifei. And then there's
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a French test when
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term starts again, so they've been having
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intensive French lessons every evening.
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Feifei: Wow, you really are tiger parents!
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Neil: Tiger what?
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Feifei: I mean you push your kids
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to achieve success at school.
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A 'tiger mother' or 'tiger
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parenting' describes a particular kind of
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strict upbringing.
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Neil: Well, let's say we just want
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what's best for our kids.
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Even if they don't appreciate it yet!
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Feifei: The phrase 'tiger mother' was first
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used to describe a style
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of raising children common in some
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traditional East Asian households,
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though it can be adopted by anyone.
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Neil: It appeared in a book by
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Chinese American law professor
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Amy Chua, who claimed her academic
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success was partly thanks to her own
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tiger mother. Let's hear examples.
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I never got to relax as a child.
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My tiger mother had me up at 7am
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practising the violin
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every Saturday and Sunday.
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We've decided to let little Bruno
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do whatever he wants, whenever he
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wants. I'm worried tiger
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parenting would stress him out.
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I have my tiger parents to thank for
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making me learn my multiplication tables
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at the age of three.
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I would never have become
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the governor of the bank otherwise.
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Neil: You are listening to The English We
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Speak from BBC Learning English.
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Our expression is 'tiger mother'.
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Well Feifei, how to be a good parent
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is always a subject of debate.
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Tiger parenting is no exception.
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It all depends on your values, really.
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Feifei: Absolutely. In any case, Neil, it
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sounds like your kids have had a very
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busy summer of learning. What are you
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up to with them this weekend,
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anything fun?
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Neil: We're going to the zoo.
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Feifei: That's nice. A reward for
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getting good grades?
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Neil: Yes. Though we're going
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to take our notebooks too. They have
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to learn so much about animals
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if they want to get top grades
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in biology this year.
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Feifei: You really are
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a tiger parent!
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02:31
Neil: Roar.
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Feifei: Bye.
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02:34
Neil: Bye.
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