In this episode, we chat with Anabel Chew, founder of WeBarre and co-founder of the Tiger Moms Club, to discuss this popular (yet often misunderstood!) approach to parenting. She gives us the lowdown on what it’s all about and when she’s planning to put a positive spin on Asian parenting…
About our guest – Anabel Chew
Anabel is mum to one (soon to be two!) little people and a mummy entrepreneur – opening the super successful fitness concept, WeBarre, in both Singapore and Hong Kong. That’s not the only string to her bow, though. She’s also a professional musician and enjoyed a very successful career before founding her fitness business. Then came the latest venture – Tiger Moms Club – created in partnership with mum pal Andrea Chong to share knowledge and advice with mums and mums to be in Singapore and beyond. She also wants us all to rethink the negative stereotypes that spring to mind when it comes to the concept of tiger mums. And that’s exactly what we wanted to talk to Anabel about…
Key points we covered in this episode to take a listen to…
02:05 – We ask Anabel to tell us more about what tiger parenting actually is, why it inspired her Instagram group name, and why it’s not all bad…
04:30 – Anabel shares her own experience from growing up. Interestingly, Anabel wishes her mum was more of a tiger mum, pushing her further and giving her more opportunities. Sam shares how she had a real-life tiger mum and the challenges she faced because of this. We then ask Anabel whether she’d be a tiger mum herself with her own kids and the conversations she’s had with her husband (who’s Australian) on parenting approaches – specifically East vs West parenting styles. Anabel gives us the lowdown on what the experts have to say too.
09:57 – What’s the verdict? We discuss whether Anabel is a tiger mum based on what she’s doing at the moment. Ange shares her thoughts on tiger mums and how she initially dismissed it before realising she probably is after all! She thinks this is because of the focus she places on extracurricular activities and her determination to get her boys to do piano and swimming. We also chat about the non-negotiables with extracurricular activities and whether being a musician has influenced Anabel’s thoughts. And what about Anabel’s mum pals?
15:00 – Why is tiger mum parenting an Asian thing, and why is it so popular in Singapore? We ask Anabel to give us the lowdown on why this is the case and how it preps kids for school life in SG.
24:30 – We ask Anabel to share more on the benefits of tiger mum parenting, and why it’s not such a bad thing…
26:50 – Anabel shares her parenting highs and lows, as well as parenting advice.
Want to know more? Check out these resources…
Want to read more about Anabel’s entrepreneurial ventures? Get the lowdown on her WeBarre business (and how she manages it all as a mum) in this exclusive HoneyKids Asia interview.
Besides the infamous tiger mums, who else would you typically meet at the school gate in Singapore? Check out our guide to the types of mums you’ll see hitting the school run – from corporate working mum to activewear mum…
Can you guess which new Disney release gives us a lesson or two when it comes to tiger mum parenting? Our writer gives his take on what we can all learn from Disney’s Turning Red.
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Catch our next episode, dropping soon!