Taming the tiger parent

the long version

From the moment the umbilical cord is cut, today's parents feel trapped in a never-ending race to ensure their child is the brightest and the best. But while it's completely natural for us to want our kids to reach their potential, at what point does too much competition become damaging? With constant testing in schools also raising the stakes, how can we tell when hot-housing children is actually doing more harm than good? Tanith Carey presents the latest research on what this contest is doing to the next generation. She explains why, far from making our children more go-getting and successful, it can backfire with life-long repercussions, damage their emotional well-being and fracture their relationships with the very people who love them most: their parents.