‘Tiger Mums’ may be too pushy, but the intention for a child to do well is a good one, says Caroline Vollans

The mention of the Tiger Mother is rarely well received – responses vary from a slight shudder to total horror. The highly disciplinarian approach to child-rearing first came to the fore five years ago in Yale law professor Amy Chua’s memoir Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother (2011). Chua was derided in the British media. She was criticised not only for putting too much pressure on her children, but some psychologists went as far as saying that the methods amounted to child abuse.

Shortly after its publication, having received incredibly bad press and Chua having been issued with multiple death threats, Michael Gove, then Secretary of State for Education, said that he was ‘all for Tiger Mums’.

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