When you want your kid to grow up tough enough to face the world but you don’t want to become your parents…What do you do?

Growing up with Asian parents, we were often taught that perseverance and hard work were the keys to success and that nothing is easy when it comes to reaching our goals. 

These values hold close to my heart because I believe that in order to achieve our goals, it takes effort, grit, courage and a ton of discipline to stay motivated, especially when we face setbacks, challenges and disappointments. 

I know firsthand how it feels to put so much pressure on yourself that suicide becomes an option when you lose control, fail and can’t manage the disappointment and shame of not meeting one’s unrealistic expectations.

So I sit on a fence.