Born to an immigrant Taiwanese father and Chinese mother, I am a second generation Asian immigrant that embodies the stereotypes of Asians. I have high achieving grades, am good at math, and wear glasses. As a child, I was expected to achieve high grades. But it was almost a natural process; materials taught in school were digestible no matter the subject. I was as good in English as I was in math. However–like many other second-generation immigrants–I was placed into an ESL class despite my coherent English. Fortunately, I exceled in ESL materials and was quickly placed out after less than a year.
However, it is quite mistaken to assume that I am the way I am due to a “Tiger Mom” or the insane schedules that Asian parents force onto their kids. The pressure that some parents place onto their kids can only force them to become robots that achieve high scores; it cannot foster personal growth. Growing up, I lived in a family without the same cultural stereotypes. My mother did not cook–it was my father who did. It was quite reasonable due to the fact that my father was simply a better cook. Due to this, I don’t see the stereotype of a woman being in the kitchen at home, sowing the seeds to my feminist side.
More importantly, I credit my success to the support of my family. Throughout my life, my parents haven’t forced me into activities I disliked and always respected my opinion. Many Asian children enroll in test preps to achieve high SHSAT and SAT scores to get into good high schools and colleges. After asking for my opinion, I decided to try it out. When I felt that the test preps did nothing to help, I quit and my parents respected my reasoning. During the college application process, I admitted that I didn’t prefer to apply to Ivy Leagues. Asking my working class parents to pay for my college tuition was something I did not want. Growing up with this background has allowed me to properly think ahead and decide how I want to do things. The choices that I make are my responsibility. I wouldn’t be who I am without my supportive family.
I agree with you. I wouldn’t be who I am without my family’s support. My mother especially let me make my own decisions and so far I think I’ve done well because I wasn’t pushed to do many things that I didn’t want to do.
I feel like your experience is very similar to mine. My parents never really forced me to do things I didn’t want to do unless it was school related. That being said, everything I’ve done for us outside of school has gone on to have their support. Without their support, I can’t say for sure whether or not I would be where I’m at today.
I thought your response was very refreshing, as you established a common stereotype yet explained what set your experience apart from that. I loved how you acknowledge that you and your family’s success was not due to a stereotype, but to legitimate strengths. You sound very self-aware and intelligent and it’s wonderful to hear how your parents helped shape you into a well-rounded person through respecting your decisions rather than adding stress.