…it’s a stress I inherited from my Hardass Asian upbringing, like a family heirloom. This is not to say that Hardass Asian Parenting can only ever be dysfunctional. While I sometimes feel robbed of normal American kid experiences, giving a crap about academics is one thing my parents did that helped me give a crap about myself. I never did become a lawyer, doctor, or engineer, but sending me to a good school in the suburbs and emphasizing the importance of a college degree was probably the difference between poverty and a stable income when I fell pregnant with my first and then got laid off from my job three days later. I obviously want to instill the same values with my own kids, but I want them to have a happy childhood too. Sometimes it’s just hard for me to navigate the difference between supportive and obsessive.
Theresa Celebran Jones
