Now Chua has returned to the pages of the Journal to provide an update on her Tiger Mother parenting now that her oldest daughter is a freshman at Harvard and Chua’s memoir is out in paperback. However Chua appears to be trying to tame her Tiger Mother persona, at least in the public eye, declaring that her job rearing her eldest daughter is, essentially, all done. “A lot of people have asked me whether I still ‘tiger mom’ my older daughter, Sophia, now that she’s in college,” Chua wrote in a new essay entitled, “Tiger Mom’s Long-Distance Cub” in which she admitted to forgetting about parents’ weekend at Harvard. “Do I block sleepovers from afar, drill her on schoolwork remotely, monitor piano practice by Skype and make sure that she never watches TV or plays computer games? Actually, it’s just the opposite. My husband and I are probably the most hands-off college parents we know.”

Chua asserted that while it’s important to “tiger parent” when a child is 12 and under in order to “produce kids who are more daring and self-reliant,” now she’s letting her eldest daughter take the reins. Color me skeptical. I can’t imagine that if Sophia decided to major in something like Art History or Philosophy, possibly join a rock band and play the drums or, got a C in a class that her mother would say, “Well, my work here is done.” I likewise can’t imagine that Chua would be hands off if, say, Sophia made a career choice or selected a spouse of which her mother disapproved. Turning off the Tiger Mother switch doesn’t seem that simple. Project a little into the future . . . do you really imagine someone who micro managed her children’s childhood biting her tongue should her daughters raise their children in that soft American style or taking umbrage should Grandma reject her grandkids’ homemade cards as not up to par? She’s about as likely to keep quiet as Donald Trump is to become president.

During a recent interview with the Today Show’s Ann Curry, the news anchor asked Chua if she “would be surprised” if her children “seek counseling at some point.” Curry also expressed her surprise that Chua was surprised by the overwhelmingly negative reaction to her Tiger Mother approach, which Chua still sees as preferable to the weak-kneed, self-esteem-centric American parenting approach. Curry, clearly, remains uncomfortable with Chua’s exultation of the Tiger Mother parenting style, regardless of the fact that Chua’s daughters are high achievers (I don’t think they had a choice). Ann, you’re certainly not alone.

Originally posted on ModernMom