“We’re moving to China” is the sentence that little did I know would change my life and family in an enormous way. I grew up with my Father as the traditional ‘breadwinner’ of the family and my Mom, a stay at home Mother, taking care of my sisters and me. I guess you could say we were the typical All-American family until my parents decided to pack up all our things in 2009 and move us to Beijing. The move to China had a huge impact on my life and my sisters’ lives, but it had even more of an impact on my parents’ marriage and my Dad’s contribution to family life as a Father and Husband. In this paper I will discuss how my family’s move to China caused shifts in the quality of my parents’ marriage, and how fatherhood within my family changed …show more content…
The interviews Williams conducts in his study finds that many fathers believe their responsibility as a father was a given, rather than a choice- between the ‘involved’ or ‘breadwinner’- and that it was very much shaped by circumstances out of their control. My parents have four children, three of which are triplets, so when they found out they were going to have four kids under the age of two, let alone multiples, my mother took off work to stay home as the primary caregiver. So, to explain ‘circumstances out of their control’ my parents thought with having four kids so young one parent should be at home as the caregiver and the other as the primary means of financial support. It was the rational decision to have my father, with the higher paying salary, work and my mother, nurturing care-taker, stay at home. This wasn’t so much a choice, but rather adaptations to ‘circumstances out of their control’. My Mother and Father were accepting of their roles, but when we moved to Beijing and my Father started to work even longer hours my parents’ marriage slowly started to change and fighting became more prevalent. My mother didn’t care as much about the large amount of financial provision he was providing to our family because as she exclaimed the long hours “isn’t worth
To many Westerners, the parenting of a Chinese figure would largely be considered as tiger parenting because of it’s growing fame in the media. This style of parenting is generally defined as a child having absolute obedience while being forced to excel in any field of the parent’s choosing. Many would think that tiger parenting is a common practice in Chinese households because of the seemingly successful Asian community. However, not all Chinese homes are centered primarily around academics and instruments. Large works that attribute to giving the Chinese community this dreadful connotation are Amy Tan’s The Joy Luck Club and Amy Chua’s “Why Chinese Mothers Are Superior”. Both the novel and article damages the reputation of Chinese
Four Chinese mothers have migrated to America. Each hope for their daughter’s success and pray that they will not experience the hardships faced in China. One mother, Suyuan, imparts her knowledge on her daughter through stories. The American culture influences her daughter, Jing Mei, to such a degree that it is hard for Jing Mei to understand her mother's culture and life lessons. Yet it is not until Jing Mei realizes that the key to understanding who her
The differences between gender roles are not so apparent anymore. Men are not always the typical breadwinners and many women are not stay-at-home mothers. An article by Beaupré, Dryburgh, and Wendy (2010) described the transition that many men are going through. According to Beaupré, et al., (2010), fathers were once considered the forgotten parent. “Until recently studies on the family focused mainly on the mothers” (Beaupré, et al., 2010). Fortunately, both parents are now being focused on. Fathers today are much more involved in the pregnancy and birth of their child and their child’s life in general (Beaupré, et al., 2010). Beaupré, et al., (2010) explained that women’s involvement in the labour force could be a factor to this change. Women are more educated than they were in previous years. And while women want to work more, men want to be more involved in their children’s lives (Beaupré, et al., 2010). Fatherhood is occurring later in adulthood. Research stated that the majority of men are very satisfied with their involvement in their children’s lives. (Beaupré, et al., 2010).
Amy Chua stirs up a controversial topic of the differences between Chinese and Western parenting styles in the article “Adapted from Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother”. One may believe that the Chinese way is too harsh as others may believe Western parents are too lenient. Any parent can relate to one or both parenting styles that Chua is discussing. This article is reaching out to parents who are unaware of the Chinese and Western parenting styles. To give the readers a better understanding of how each parenting style works. This article was based on Chua’s personal experiences as a Chinese parent.
Although single parenthood is on the rise in homes today, children still often have a father role in their life. It does not matter who the part is filled by: a father, uncle, older brother, grandfather, etc...; in almost all cases, those relationships between the father (figure) and child have lasting impacts on the youth the rest of their lives. In “I Wanted to Share My Father’s World,” Jimmy Carter tells the audience no matter the situation with a father, hold onto every moment.
We have all been in a situation where we have immigrated to a new country for different reasons regarding, better future, or education. In the book Jade of Peony, Wayson Choy describes a struggle of a Chinese family as they settle in Canada, with their new generation of kids born here, the family struggles to keep their children tied to their Chinese customs and traditions as they fit in this new country. The Chinese culture needs to be more open minded as it limits the future generation’s potential. Chinese culture limitations are seen through the relationship expectations, education, gender roles and jobs.
Fathers today spend more time taking care of their children compared to previous generations. Even with these gains, today's mothers devote almost double the time that fathers do for child care.[2] While every situation is different, in most families there
Fathers are often under a lot of personal and cultural pressure to be “the man of the house.” Studies have gone in depth regarding how this affects a father's interaction with his children. Often, fathers spend their whole lives working to support their children and teaching them important new skills and abilities. Even more than a mother, they perceive their children as weak or
Because America is such a diverse country, there are many differences between cultures of various immigrant groups. Members of each culture, have their own beliefs and values regarding what they think is right. The cultural diversity allows for each person to have a different view of things. Amy Chua’s essay “Why Chinese Mothers are Superior,” she describes her way of parenting her two daughters following Chinese values about education. She explains how Western parents are much more lenient than Chinese parents with their children and education. Chua gives examples of how she raised her daughter Lulu and Sophia which lead them to achieve success. She makes comparisons between Western and Chinese parenting styles throughout the essay and concludes that both types of parents want the best for their children, but just approach parenting it in different ways. In the article, “Chinese vs Western Mothers: Q&A with Amy Chua,” Amy Chua is interviewed by Belinda Luscombe where she clarifies how her Chinese method of parenting did not hurt her children the way many readers thought it did. Chua explains that her relationship with her two daughters is very strong and believes there are many effective ways of parenting in addition to the Chinese approach. Chua’s essay shows the Chinese immigrant approach to parenting and gives insight into why so many children of Chinese parents are so successful. Discussing the cultural differences shows the risk of stereotyping groups where feelings
In addition, in the traditional families the mother usually bore the sole responsibility of the child caring. Modern parents now share this responsibility together because of social and work constraints. However, holidays which are not common in the traditional family, allow them to spend quality time with their children. Moreover in many modern families the father becomes a house worker, to provide for the needs of his children. As the statistics shown in the United Kingdom in 2001, 155 000 fathers were stay home husbands. All in all, the emphasis on nurturing children can be seen in traditional and modern families, alike.
I am afraid of being deported back to China because I had suffered persecutions for resisting against the Chinese government’s act of forcible demolishment of its citizens' homes without their consensus. If I am deported back to China, I will be persecuted again because I have been blacklisted by the
Chinese parents that have immigrated to the United States from China are known to have an Authoritative approach to child-rearing. In a study done by Cindy Lin, parents from China (Taiwan), immigrant Chinese living in America, and American parent’s child-rearing practices were compared. In her study she found that Chinese parents tend to control their children more than American Parents, as well as be less
a partner of their choosing, rather than the old tradition of a mate being selected
China is world’s most populous and fastest emerging economy that is seen as a continent in it instead of being part of Asia. In recent years, developed nations have been surprised by the acceleration of development in country that they give examples of success stories based on China’s market. Apart from China’s sophisticated with complex economic and political system, China also demonstrate interesting trends in several different prospects of society that are often neglected by intellectuals. There main focus is always on economic and political reform, But in this essay main focus is on the china’s population and the cultural rituals of family, gender and marriage. To add more, further elaboration will be addressed on the changing trends
Family loyalty in China has had a tumultuous past filled with fluctuation between remaining loyal to the state, yet also remaining loyal to blood relatives. In the autobiography that also serves as a biography, Wild Swans, by Jung Chang, this is seen. The book, which outlines the biographies of the author’s grandmother and mother, as well as her own autobiography, gives an interesting look into the lives of the Chinese throughout the 20th century. This book is beyond eye opening, and is truly a raw glimpse into the daily lives of women throughout China, struggling with situations that no human should ever be thrown into. I loved this book and was truly scared about the world that it opened me up to. The book does many things well, but also has its faults. The author consistently and clearly exemplifies the social hierarchy that consumes China, as well as its obsession with cultural stagnancy. The author also gives intense imagery that thrusts the reader into the scene, and creates a new reality showcasing the truths of China. Although both of those things take main stage in the book, there are a few weaknesses in the book. One, asking the question of how she had such clear anecdotes on her grandmother and mother’s life, how did she have such intimate details? The second shortcoming that Jung Chang had a subjective view of China, partly being that she loves China despite the cards it has dealt her. Her life was not short of hardships, but her family was typically