Tigers, cubs and cats...

Ever since Amy Chua's book, 'The battle hymn of Tiger mothers' started selling at book stands, it created such a brouhaha in most parts of developed (read Caucasian) world. For the rest the world, (because for the media and the US, they are the world and they are the children, just to quote MJ), the strict regimental upbringing is after the only way. Even just two generations ago, children use to hear the mantras -'Spare the rod and spoil the child', 'Children are to be seen and not heard' and even 'Wait till your father gets home!' Things have changed so much so fast before Superman can change into his super hero suit that children all over the world are fast becoming brats! They are now talking about their lives, their wishes, their freedom, their desires, their god-knows-what-else!

Amy Chua and her daughters

Anyway, for the Asians of Generation-X, ferocious mothers were the norm in our development into adolescence and beyond. Just to borrow the idea mooted by our ex-PM in his initially banned book, 'The Malay Dilemma',  Asians all our the world, especially if you are an immigrant population tend to try to blend into the society by what better way but through education and brain power, as due to their challenged physique, it seem humanly impossible to outwit their opponents in a face to face duel. Years of natural selection have taught them (their hostile motherland with constant battle with nature and amongst each other) to be 'kiasu' and disciplined to achieve their ambitions. The proof of this constantly fed to the children by these Tiger mothers in the form story telling and bed time stories.

Wait till your father gets home: 70s cartoon

With evolution of time, with affluence and more exposure to the outside via the media (and Disney Channel), upbringing the Tiger mothers' way has taken a back seat all over the world. And this back seat driver has no say in the way the car is driven and its destination. Just wait and see where it lands up - the ditch or to the immigration checkpoint?
It used to be that these Tigers telling those children, "My way or no way!"; now it is the children telling the Tigers, "Like Frankie said, I did it my way, It's my life!*". The once growling incisors flashing Tigers without choice have now mellowed down to be omnivorous domesticated pussies!

*It's my life - Bon Jovi