Melody of the Paternal Tigers: A Heartfelt Ballad
Manny Moy, a renowned Portland-based surgeon, is often referred to as a "tiger dad" – a label given to first or second-generation American parents who highly value education and strive for their children's success. However, Moy's approach to parenting deviates from the traditional tiger parenting style, as depicted in Amy Chua's "Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother."
Moy's parenting style is more about fostering a love of learning and nurturing good human beings than about strictness, high pressure, and demands for perfection. He believes in a positive foundation over perfection and accepts differences in parenting styles within his family life.
Moy's team in educating his twin sons, Benjamin and Robert, includes his partner Tony Varona, his former partner "Daddy Rob," their teachers at school, and a Chinese teacher. Each member brings unique specialties to the table, with Moy focusing on mathematical science and Varona on language.
Varona reviews the boys' extracurricular essays and holds nightly phone conversations with them in Spanish from his home in Seattle. Meanwhile, Daddy Rob emphasises experiential learning and travelling with the boys, making family vacations an opportunity to learn new languages, such as Spanish, and apply learning to real-world situations.
Moy uses the digital flashcard system Anki as his favourite academic tool for learning, including Mandarin alongside his sons. He also recommends the book "Zones of Regulation" by Leah Kuypers to promote social emotional learning.
The boys practice spelling with Moy while he cooks breakfast before their regular field trip to the public library. Moy and Varona have a rule that the boys must finish 15 minutes of Anki every day before they can play video games.
Moy values public school but recognises its flaws and seeks to supplement it by adding to it. He is still working on managing his children's screen time and teaching them about cyberbullying and social media risks.
Despite his focus on education, Moy has told his sons that if they decide not to go to college, he's okay with that. Moy believes in a more unconventional definition of success, emphasising the importance of becoming good people, good world citizens, and well-rounded, intelligent adults, rather than just external achievement.
Moy's learning-focused parenting style involves structuring his children's lives with adventures into knowledge, promoting learning as an enjoyable experience. This approach has fostered a love of learning in his sons, who will be best men at their fathers' wedding in November.
Moy and Varona make sure the boys have what they need wherever they are, and appreciate the differences among their parenting styles to provide the boys with a richness of experience rather than an absence of stability.
[1] Source: [Link to the article] [2] Source: [Link to the article]
- Manny Moy, often labeled a "tiger dad" for his emphasis on education, departs from traditional tiger parenting, focusing more on fostering a love of learning and nurturing good human beings.
- Moy's team in educating his twin sons includes his partner, Tony Varona, his former partner "Daddy Rob," school teachers, and a Chinese teacher, each bringing unique perspectives.
- Varona reviews the boys' essays and holds nightly conversations with them in Spanish, while Daddy Rob emphasizes experiential learning and traveling for applying learning to real-world situations.
- Moy uses the digital flashcard system Anki for learning, including Mandarin alongside his sons, and recommends the book "Zones of Regulation" for social emotional learning.
- The boys practice spelling with Moy during breakfast before their regular field trips to the library and must complete 15 minutes of Anki daily before playing video games.
- Moy values public school but seeks to supplement it, addressing its flaws like managing children's screen time and teaching them about cyberbullying and social media risks.
- Despite his focus on education, Moy accepts that his sons may choose not to attend college, believing in a more unconventional definition of success, emphasizing personal growth, relationships, and becoming good world citizens.
[1] Source: [Link to the article][2] Source: [Link to the article]
