GFG, I always read The Tiger Mother as a tongue in cheek performance by an Eastern intellectual, a joke on all the criticism of Chinese mothers. That is, Amy Chua was laughing at us/the uproar.
I know that there are extremes out there, but the pressure has many sources. Teens are as/more motivated by their peers as their parents. Sometimes the source of competition is the kids. Some of the high schools full of high performing kids would have a hard time creating a relaxed culture. Sometimes kids drive themselves. My older daughter did. I don’t think she would be happy unless she was working toward some form of betterment. I put her in private school 'cause I figured she would be trying to be the best drug dealer if she was in our local school. Now she’s at a HYPS and still driven [in ways I have rarely been