Aaron's post this morning with his musings about positive stereotypes reminded me of one of my absolute FAVORITE YouTube videos, "Crazy Asian Mother." It is a hoot.

Two high school age boys role play what happens when the mother looks over her son's report card. Listen for the list of classes and the humorous jab at the parenting skills of white American parents. Very funny and illustrates other aspects of stereotyping.

When I first saw this video a year or so ago, I was transported back to my 8th grade English and social studies classroom in Hsinchu, Taiwan. Those students were funny, charming, and the work they turned in on a daily basis was astounding. Grading their papers was a joy. Honestly. They were the kids of high powered very bright parents, and they were under pressure to succeed, although their parents greatly valued the flexibility and creativity found in the American education system. It was the best of both worlds. These two guys would have fit right into my classroom.

Whenever my daughter feels that she's pressured to succeed because I have ONE MORE TIME AND NOT FOR THE LAST TIME given her the litany of why she must do well in school in that annoying voice that only adults have, I think those Asian mothers who taught me a thing or two when I lived in Taiwan. As I explain to my daughter, I must have been a crazy Asian mother in a past life. Some things do rub off on a person when one travels.

By the way, I actually think there's a crazy Asian mother in every parent. Even men. That's why this video has almost 5,000,000 hits.

Filed under: Arts and Culture, Learning, Stories, Asia, China, Taiwan, United States, Video