Tiger Grandparents

Thanks to Amy Chua's book, most of parents these days know about tiger parenting or are "helicopter parents" themselves.

There's nothing wrong in making sure your kids have the ability to thrive at life, even if it means breathing down their necks for most of their life (please, you just don't stop being a tiger parent, it follows you to the grave)

Obviously there are pros and cons to this type of parenting but I'm not going to argue. I would like to consider myself a tiger mom but I find myself leaning towards attachment parenting more.

But have you ever heard of tiger grandparents?

These are the ones that adore and dote on their grandchildren as many other grandparents do but with one difference; they do strict grandparenting too.

Sure they sneak in treats and desserts when the parents aren't looking and are quick to step in when they witness some discipline being carried out.

These grandparents also want their grandkids to learn an additional language, one that is usually not spoken within the family but could potentially provide an economic and social advantage later in the child's life.

These grandparents want their grandkids to be the biggest and most active kid in the playground, easily overshadowing other children at the sandbox, secretly laughing at one kid eating the sand.

These grandparents want their grandkids to stop crying immediately if they were not physically hurt.

Much similarities can be obtained from tiger parenting and grandparenting, but in my own experience, there is one big difference.

You also become the target for their tactics.

If the child is not learning Spanish as an elective language, the parent gets berated for not preparing the kid for the future, possibly limiting options in career possibilities. A career in technical support is easily achievable if one can speak 5 different languages. Why, little Petunia could even be a diplomat or work for the United Nations! They ignore the fact that you had to go through grueling hours of extra classes to learn a language that you barely use in the past 10 years of your life.

If the child is not walking by the age of 1, the parent gets blamed. From coddling to insufficient care during pregnancy, grandparents can find a myriad of ways to point fingers at the parent. In fact, grandma steps in by lifting baby up my the armpits and guiding her to take steps while grandpa conveniently puts the pacifier on a high table.
Never mind that the child might learn how to walk before she learns how to get her butt off the floor.

Perhaps there needs to be the next Amy Chua and write a self-mock memoir to expose the world to tiger grandparents. I think plenty of parents today can submit little tit-bits to make a book possible.

I know I can.