Experts say there is a wide difference between eastern and western parenting style. To say one is better than the other, however, could be subject to debates and personal perception.
Author Maya Thiagarajan explores both styles in her new parenting book "Beyond the Tiger Mom: East-West Parenting for the Global Age." She hopes it will serve as a good resource for parents who are searching for a blended approach, especially since global awareness is on the rise.
Thiagarajan absorbed western parenting concepts as a university student and a young mom. She learned eastern parenting approaches when her family moved to Singapore where she was among Asian mothers.
"[Asian] parents felt much less guilt about telling kids what to do," Thiagarajan said in her interview with The Star. In contrast, western parenting is about letting kids make their own decisions or teaching them to be empowered.
So how should a parent use a blended approach? Thiagarajan said parents should keep in mind that they can take control of their kids and set boundaries, which is an eastern approach. At the same, however, Thiagarajan said it's also important for parents to encourage creativity and innovation, which is a western approach.
She cites an example of a mother teaching her child math. "She used the elevators in the apartment building," Thiagarajan said. "Her child became really comfortable with adding and subtracting numbers through elevator rides."
Career Ride notes eastern parenting has an authoritarian parenting style. Children raised in this manner are skilled, well-trained, hard-working and disciplined.
On the other hand, western parenting has a permissive parenting style. Children raised in this manner are believed to be socially well-adjusted, open-minded and assertive.
Parents can find the right balance by learning to understand their children's traits and quirks, as well as strengths and weaknesses. Regardless of approach, what's important is for parents to realize that there is no one-size-fits-all style to parenting.
