So to get back on topic: I think there are problems with wanting the best for one’s child and not wanting one’s child to be the best. That is, the title of this thread is too much like a Hallmark card. It is a quote from the article, but . . .
What is the wanted best? Clearly it isn’t a North Face jacket or a tennis pro. The middle class is struggling to hang on to their life style, according to the article, and to bequeath it to their children, but the economic changes are making it difficult for (upper) middle class parents to ensure the culture and values with which they were raised. At a fairly clear level, tiger parents want the best cultural values and life style, as they perceive them, and they trying to secure them for their children.
Why wouldn’t one want her child to be the best? Of course it would be overbearing to force a child to play piano, but if the kid likes music, what is wrong with committing to helping the child be the best pianist that she can be? It is important for children to learn to work and develop skills as best they are able.
I don’t live in P.A. Perhaps if I did, I would see the quote as a more valid admonition, but from where I sit, I see it as too simplistic.