6 signs you might be a tiger mom

If you haven’t heard the term “Tiger Mom,” you may be surprised to learn that people consider you to be one.
You don’t think of yourself as overly strict, rather you set rules and expect your kids to follow them.

You’re not mean; you’re firm and direct. You’re not overbearing; you’re protective.

You don’t push your children to succeed; you encourage them strongly in the right direction. For the tiger mom, all roads lead to success.

You might be a Tiger Mom if:

You Make Your Children’s Choices For Them – While parents should set boundaries, there is a difference between borders and prison walls. Kids need to experiment, try new things and, even, fail. Tiger Moms, however, can’t handle that. Their kids have to excel and take the path to success, even if they don’t choose it for themselves.

Your Kids Aren’t Sure You Love Them For Who They Are – Tiger Moms tend to show their pride, support and love when they are happy with how their kids perform. Even though the love may be unconditional, it’s not expressed that way. While encouragement is great, Tiger Moms link their love to performance and push for the best every time, with great disappointment at failure.

Your Well-Meaning Words Are Actually Hurtful – Your kids know you better than you think they do. You can say something nice with a tone that conveys an entirely different message and they’ll get the point.

Read also: Tips for managing household chores

You Watch While They Do The Work – Children of Tiger Moms are often left to themselves, to carry out orders. Parenting is about guidance and relationship-building, but Tiger Moms are too intent on kids doing it until they get it right, even if they have to stay for hours in isolation to “focus.”

You’re Relentless – Everyone needs a break sometimes, especially kids. Being the constant watchful eye is not only exhausting for you, it’s worse for your kids. Feeling constantly policed can even breed rebellion and lead to a breaking away from the rigid structures you’ve set.

Your Parenting Style Is Exclusive To You – Parents talk, so do kids. Take a look at what other parents are doing. If you’re the only parent with the amount of rules, expectations and scheduled activities that you have, you may be going overboard. While many parents have rules, few have them to the level of a Tiger Mom. If you’re always the strict one, it may be time to re-evaluate.

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