The last of the tiger parents

For one non-traditional Asian father, a firm hand works best when paired with warm embrace

PHOTO: ST FILE
New: Gift this subscriber-only story to your friends and family

In first grade, I arrived at my suburban elementary school as a sort of academic vaudeville trickster. My classmates stood speechless as I absorbed thick tomes on mediaeval history, wrote and presented research reports, and breezed through fifth-grade maths problems like a bored teenager.

My teachers anointed me a genius, but I knew the truth. My non-Asian friends hadn't spent hours marching through the snow, reciting multiplication tables. They hadn't stood at attention at the crack of dawn reading the newspaper aloud, with each stumble earning a stinging rebuke. Like a Navy Seal thrown into a pool of raw conscripts, at six, I had spent much of my conscious life training for this moment.

Already a subscriber? 

Read the full story and more at $9.90/month

Get exclusive reports and insights with more than 500 subscriber-only articles every month

Unlock these benefits

  • All subscriber-only content on ST app and straitstimes.com

  • Easy access any time via ST app on 1 mobile device

  • E-paper with 2-week archive so you won't miss out on content that matters to you

Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.

A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Sunday Times on July 08, 2018, with the headline The last of the tiger parents. Subscribe