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Redshirt mom vs. Tiger mom -- seeking a competitive advantage?
http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=7400898n&tag=contentBody;storyMediaBox |
They both make me want to puke. |
You're not a mother from the metropolitan D.C. area? |
| One of my dearest friends is a red-shirting tiger mom. What a combination! Love her dearly even though we have very different parenting styles. I understand that her child-rearing is in keeping with cultural norms. She loves her boys dearly and is doing what she believes will help them be successful in life. Isn't that what all good parents do? The fact that I disagree with her approach doesn't mean that she is a horrible mom, anymore than my more laid back approach makes me a horrible mom. We respect one another's differences and have actually learned a thing or two from the other person's approach and have gained an understanding of the cultural and societal differences driving our decisions. |
Unusual combo as reshirting is generally what rich whites do in search of competive advantage for their children. Immigrant families tend not to redshirt in my experience. |
FYI, Amy Chua, the author of Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother, is NOT an immigrant--she was born in Illinois. Please be mindful not to attribute "perpetual immigrant" status to Asian Americans. |
Thanks for posting this -- I like Holden's mom.
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I am a mother from the metro DC area, not all of us are red-shirting and/or tiger mom's. My DS has a late June birthday and I "gasp" did not red-shirt him. Guess what, he turned out just fine. Please don't paint all DC area moms with the same brush. Many of us are sane, rational and low key people. |
| Tiger moms usually prefer acceleration rather than red-shirting their kids (for example: teach 3 year olds to do 3rd grade math or skip a couple of grade in elementary school. |
Yes, I am very mindful that immigrant mothers (recent and first generation) from Africa and Asia operate with a philosphy similar to Tiger mom as opposed to Redshirt mom. I am one of those mothers. |
| LOts of over simplistic stereotypes in this thread. Not all redshirting is done for a competitive advantage. |
I believe the PP meant no harm and is likely American ... but not of Anglophone origin. My experience in this country (as a third generation American) is I am automatically assumed an immigrant here because skin color and phenotype, and not American. My American parents had similar experiences. Clearly, by the middle of this century these assumptions and preconceived notions will change but it does take some time. |
The story does not address the exceptions related to health and other sundry issues ... but to the "designer" motives that have fueled the recent epidemic spreading to fancy public schools. Redshirting by the wealthy is a long established strategy for competitive edge and advantage in the world of elite, private, NE boarding schools. |
Edit, please. |
My dear friend immigrated as a child. She is a fierce tiger mom who also chose to redshirt to give her child the competitive edge academically and in sports since he would be the oldest male in the class. Redshirting in her view gave him an additional competitive edge due to maturity. |