Asian parents | Mabel Kwong

“Why didn’t you get full marks on the test?” “Why do you always come home so late?” “Why no discount on the chicken today?” These sentences are often the music to the average Asian kid’s ears, the average Asian kid who lives with Asian parents.

Sometimes what our parents say to us might actually be meaningful and make a lot of sense. If we stop to listen. Photo: Mabel Kwong

Truth be told, a lot of things Asian parents often say are weighed with negative undertones. It’s downright demoralising to chide a kid when they tried their best on a B-graded test, isn’t it? What’s wrong with buying a kilo of chicken when it’s not on sale? Nothing. At the same time, what Asian parents say can be rather humourous.

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Over the past year, tons of my Asian friends in Australia, Singapore and Malaysia graduated from university. Along with this, I noticed tons of “graduation trip” photos – photos of my friends striking poses in scenic countrysides, photos of mouth-watering exotic cuisine – popping up on my Facebook news feed. And this actually points towards changing Asian attitudes and culture in society today.

A graduation trip is typically a trip overseas, a reward for studying hard and finally finishing university. A decade ago, graduation trips were not all the rage. For many Asians then, post-uni life meant jumping straight into the workforce or hunkering down and finding a job that pays decently and is well-respected by the Asian parents.

Asian graduates are increasingly making it a point to see the world prior to entering the workforce. Photo: Mabel Kwong

Today, graduation trips are the norm for young university graduates, akin to a rite of passage before entering the workforce. I have never been on one, but judging from the photos my Asian friends post on Facebook, these trips look fun.

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