The Pressure To Be Perfect Analysis

The Pressure to be Perfect Expectations is defined as a strong belief that someone should achieve something in the future. Parents often set high expectations for their children whether is in arts, school, and sports. Often, these expectations put pressure on children to make their parents happy. But to what extent is too high?? Even though I do not have testimony about what a mother’s love for her children really is about, I do know that their love for their children is immense through the love my mother has shown me through out my lifetime. Our mothers have played an important part in our lives. They taught us our first words, how to read, how to tie our shoes and many more. Not only do they teach us some of the basic things that are nessacary

She decides to switch her focus on her daughter becoming a prodigy at playing the piano. The mother quickly found put together a schedule of piano practices that Jing-Mei would partake in with Mr. Chong, a neighbor in their apartment building. “My mother traded housecleaning serves for weekly lessons and a piano for to practice on every day, two hours a day, from four to six (Tan 323). When her mother told her what she would do from then on, Jing-Mei was aggravated because she did not want to try to live up to her mother’s expectations anymore. “Why don't you like me the way I am? I’m not a genius! I can’t play the piano. And even if I could, I wouldn't go on TV if you paid me a million dollars!” (Tan 323). At that moment is when she could not take having to live up to her mother’s expectations any longer. She quickly detected that because Mr. Chong was so old that “his eyes were too slow to keep up with the wrong notes I was playing” (Tan 323). She learned that she could make as many mistakes as she wanted and Mr. Chong would not even

“All day she play chess. All day I have no time do nothing but dust off her winnings” (Tan 324). After hearing Auntie Lindo go on about her child, Jing-Mei’s mother wanted to brag about her daughter as well “Our problem worser than yours. If we ask Jing-Mei wash dish. She hear nothing but music. You can’t stop this natural talent” (Tan 324). When Jing-Mei hurt her mother’s comment she knew she “had to put a stop to her foolish pride” (Tan 324). A few weeks after the incident the mother decided to put Jing-Mei in the church’s talent show to prove to Aunt Lindo how talented she was at playing the piano. But talented was not the word to describe Jing-Mei with her piano playing ability. The talent show did not go how her mother expected it to. Once again something inside of Jing-Mei died inside as she could feel yet again the disappointment in her parents faces. “But my mother’s expression was what devastated me: a quiet, blank look that said she had lost everything” (Tan 326). Even after the talent show disaster Jing-Mei mother still told her to go to piano practice. At this moment Jing-Mei realized that she had to stand up to her mother that she did not want to play the piano. But her mother still insisted that she must be obedient and go to piano lessons. “You want me to be someone that I’m not! I’ll never be the kind of daughter you want me to be” (Tan 326). This