Irish Born Chinese

Being Irish born Chinese, I have always thought I was lucky to have experienced being brought up in two cultures. My parents were not totally strict when it comes to education and extra-curricular activities, they were more strict about me staying out late or even going out at all when I hit my teens and while I was in college. I was pretty lucky to try whatever I wanted when I was young, although I did quit when I lose interest. My mother was really supportive of things I try even though she knows that I won't be doing it for long and would quip every so often the money spent on things I lose interest in. She would also make Chinese desserts for those bring your food/dessert for sale days as well as rice crispies.

I wonder if other IBCs are brought up by a stereotypical tiger mom, piano lessons, have to get A-grades all the time and so on? I know I didn't have those pressures, as long as I'm not flunking out of school, they were happy for me. Come to think of it, I think they were even more happy when I finished college. My mom would try her best to make sure that I know that education is important as she didn't even go to secondary school herself being the eldest in her family of many siblings and were quite poor. So she had help out by earning a living. I suppose indirectly all Chinese moms (or parents) secretly wish all their kids to go to college, especially the 1st generation Chinese who arrived with nothing much and worked hard to be where they are today.