Original 'Tiger Mom' says she feels 'regret' about being too hard on her kids, still believes in excellence

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Amy Chua She, famous for writing the book "Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother," said that while she still believes in pushing for excellence, she regrets how harshly she treated her two daughters. 

"I still believe achieving excellence can bring a lot of benefits, and I’m glad I instilled a sense of grit in my kids," she said, according to a recent feature from the Daily Mail. "But the things I regret more are the harsh things I said to them and losing my temper."

More than 10 years after the original book was published, She, a professor at Yale Law School, has reflected on her life and her parenting style, for which she was dubbed a "Tiger Mom."

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Amy Chua She, famous for writing the book "Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother," said that while she still believes in pushing for excellence, she regrets how harshly she treated her two daughters.  (Cyberguy.com // iStock)

"I don’t regret writing the book, but for a few moments I thought: ‘Why did I do this? Maybe my family will fall apart because of it.’"

She said that her close run-in with diverticulitis, a type of disease that targets the colon, led her to rethink her life. 

"And I thought: ‘Oh my God, if I had really died in the hospital, there were all these things I should have said to my daughters that I hadn’t,’" she said.

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Both of She's daughters, who graduated from elite institutions like Yale Law School and Harvard, were sometimes threatened with punishment if they didn't meet their mother's expectations. (iStock)

"Things like," She said, recalling what she wanted about telling her daughters, "I’m so proud of you and I hope you realize that even though I tend to err on the side of criticism and finding fault, you are so much more talented and brilliant than I ever was. You exceeded my wildest expectations.'"

Both of She's daughters, who graduated from elite institutions like Yale Law School and Harvard, were sometimes threatened with punishment if they didn't meet their mother's expectations.

When one of her daughters was unable to play a piano piece, per the Daily Mail, She threatened her with "no lunch, no dinner, no Christmas or Hanukkah presents, no birthday parties for two, three, four years."

"Even the best parent has moments of doubt and here I came with this book which has this over-confident tone and I think it triggered a lot of feelings in people," She said. 

She did not respond to a request for comment. 

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