In the words of Jean Rubin:

Tiger Mom is making the news.  Apparently this woman is so strict disciplining her children; her husband has been defending her on television. Can you imagine Maury going on air to say I'm not a B#$$$%?! She forced her daughter to practice piano for hours without even a bathroom break. She even threatened to burn her daughter’s stuffed animals if her piano piece wasn’t perfect. And no TV. Ever. Or sleep overs.

When Lara and Michael were younger and didn’t do something they were told, I would hide the remote to the TV. That kept them occupied for a couple of hours as they would try to look for it. After that I employed the B.I.T. Method of child rearing. Bribery, Intimidation and Threats. It worked every time.

Critics say Tiger Mom is crazy but in reality she's not that different than some Scottsdale moms. There are two distinctive types. The first doesn't want too much to do with their kids. They ship their children off to live with the other parent, boarding schools or pawn them off daily to nannies so they can live the Scottsdale lifestyle--mani-pedis, hair weaves, Botox injections (Did you know there are "Walk-in" specials for $5?!), shopping at Barney's and drinking martinis in the afternoon. Although, a martini does sound good right about now. My kids are grown so it’s okay. Every woman needs a break.

The second type adheres to helicopter parenting and never lets her children out of her sight. These are the little ones who are allergy-prone, lactose-intolerant, gluten-free, asthmatic, vegan and prone to eczema. If momma manages every minute of their day there's hope they'll survive to get their driver's permit at twenty.

I admit I left Lara and Michael in their teens home alone for a night when I had to go to Tucson with strict instructions not to order pizza for delivery. You never know if your delivery boy is an actual serial killer. Paranoia runs in the family. My mother told me recently, "Jean, I know the caretaker here looked in my underwear drawer." There's really no response for that.

Anyway, Tiger Mom may be harsh but at least she is paying attention. Bet her kids score high on the SATs!