{"id":20382,"date":"2014-12-16T06:00:05","date_gmt":"2014-12-16T11:00:05","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/admin.patheos.com\/blogs\/geneveith\/?p=20382"},"modified":"2014-12-15T21:32:07","modified_gmt":"2014-12-16T02:32:07","slug":"elephant-mothers-vs-tiger-mothers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/geneveith\/2014\/12\/elephant-mothers-vs-tiger-mothers\/","title":{"rendered":"Elephant mothers vs. Tiger mothers"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>

Is it better to be a Tiger mother or an Elephant mother?\u00a0 That is, a parent who believes family life is preparation for the adult world and so should be a school of hard knocks, harsh consequences, and tough love.\u00a0\u00a0 Or a parent who believes family life should be a haven from the outside world, a place of comfort and emotional security?<\/p>\n

After the jump, read an excerpt from an essay on the subject and see a video of an elephant\u2019s parenting style.<\/p>\n

From\u00a0Priyanka Sharma-Sindhar, Being an \u2018Elephant Mom\u2019 in the Time of the Tiger Mother \u2013 The Atlantic<\/a>:<\/p>\n

If you\u2019re wondering what \u2018elephant parent\u2019 means, it\u2019s the kind of parent who does the exact opposite of what the tiger mom, the ultra-strict disciplinarian, does. Here\u2019s a short video clip [see below] that shows how real elephants parent. And that\u2019s what I\u2019m writing about here\u2014parents who believe that they need to nurture, protect, and encourage their children, especially when they\u2019re still impressionable and very, very young.<\/p>\n

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My elephant mom was a doctor with infinite patience. I failed a Hindi test when I was in fifth or sixth grade, and I remember going to her, teary-eyed, with my results\u2014and hearing her tell me that it didn\u2019t matter. There were many more tests ahead. As I sobbed in her lap, she stroked my hair, hugged me, and told me there would be another test, and I could pass that one. (I did get the annual proficiency prize for Hindi a year later at the same school.) . . .<\/p>\n

[Keep reading. . .]<\/a><\/p>\n