Tiger mother and her cubs on a stage: Tiger parenting style and its effects in Listen to Me

Ever since the publication of Amy Chuas memoir, Battle Hymn of The Tiger Mother, in 2011, Asian or Asian-heritage parenting has received more time under the limelight both in and out of the United States. More attention is given to the effects of that particular parenting style on the childrens academic achievement and wellbeing. A publication of Petra Little Theatres New Play Development Series indicates that the issue also hits a nerve among contemporary Indonesian playwrights. This paper is interested in finding out how Listen to Me (LTM), a play by Bernadeth Febyola Linando, portrays Tiger Mother parenting style and its impact on the children. Upon analyzing the play using the conceptual framework of parenting styles and their impacts, this paper argues that LTM displays a typical Tiger Mother parenting similar to Chuas with a slight difference, and it shows mainly negative results of such parenting on the main character, and, on the side, some positive results on two other supporting characters.