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Parental Expectations
Inarguably, parents will sacrifice all they can to ensure their children lead a hopeful life. They will assess the situation of their children and make the necessary changes in their lives to ensure a brighter future. However, sometimes they come up with opinions and views which collide with that of their children. It is notable that this does not indicate that they do not support them. The short stories “Only Daughters” authored by Sandra Cisneros and “Mother Tongue” authored by Amy Tan justify the theme of “Parental Expectations.” According to these two literary works, it is evident that their current writing careers are not shaped by the active contribution of their parents to their upbringing (Chen and William 324). The stories indicate that their parents had different expectations in their children and they wanted them to take a different lane in life from what they took. For instance, while Amy’s mother wanted her daughter to premed, Sandra’s father wanted her to find a husband after enrolling in a college. Apparently, the two parents had different expectations for their children from the time they were young.
According to the two stories, it is evident that parent’s expectations will not always become a reality. This can be seen by the fact that Sandra’s father perceived college to be a good place for her daughter to engage in a mature relationship which will enable her to get married. Conversely, Sandra finds passion in English, and she even majors in the subject.

She writes interesting poems and finds herself gradually securing a career in writing.
On the same note, Amy’s mother had put so much effort o ensure that her daughter becomes a doctor. She had even paid and ensured that she had enrolled in a premed to pursue the course. However, upon joining the school, Amy got interested in English and majored in the course. Even though this was against her mother’s will, she pursued the course and eventually secured a career in the field. According to “Mother Tongue” Amy is seen becoming rebellious to his mother by failing to follow what she had planned for her. Her first job was a freelance writer who was not even paid. This greatly conflicted with her mother’s plans for her as her mother viewed writing as a futile career. However, she manages to gradually improve in writing and at the end even write her books such as “The Joy Luck Club.” It was not the expectations of these two parents that their daughters will take different paths in life from what they had concluded earlier on.
Marriage and career are significantly correlated. From the stories both Sandra’s father and Amy’s mother wanted their children to have a happy marriage. For instance, Amy’s father wanted her to find a good boy while in college so that she can get married to her. On the other hand, Amy’s mother wanted her to pursue a “good course” so that she could be happy in her marriage. Even though there were differences, parents had their expectations based on their daughters’ desires since. None of the two parents wished their daughters’ dreams to be shuttered. A parent is also satisfied if his or her daughter is happy and satisfied with their right choices in life (Chen and William 50). Just like Sandra’s father who was satisfied with her daughter’s choice and success of getting a writing career, it is advisable for parents to emulate the example in supporting their daughters in making their choices as long as it is the right choice. The same case applies to Amy who apparently required her mother’s support while starting her career. The two characters believed that by pursuing writing, they would be happy in their marriage since they will practice professions which they are passionate about.
Both parents were unhappy when they discovered that their children were going against their expectations. Amy’s mother was not satisfied with her daughter’s choice since she expected her to be a doctor and thought that this is the only thing that can make her happy (Chen and William 321). She believes that she knows what is right for her daughter and does not give her chance or rather support her in writing. Despite the challenges that Amy faces, she remained strong and focused on her dream which she later succeeds in. Sandra’s father was also against her daughter new direction in life. This was because she expected her to marry but she did not. However, even though their daughter went against their expectations they still passively supported them. They were happy with their determination a factor which saw success in their future lives.
It is evident that both Sandra Cisneros and Amy Tan initially disappointed their parents when they discovered that they were going against their expectations. While Amy’s mother wanted her to pursue medicine and become a professional doctor, Sandra’s father wanted her daughter to meet a good man and engage in a relationship which would lead to marriage. On the contrary, the two daughters changed their minds and took different paths which collided with their parent’s expectations. Certainly, their parents wanted well for their daughters, but still, Sandra’s and Amy’s decisions were beneficial to their future life. Regardless of their parent’s expectations, the paths that they followed were satisfactory to them and their marriage in future.
Work Cited
Chen, Huabin, and William Lan. “Adolescents’ perceptions of their parents’ academic expectations: Comparison of American, Chinese-American, and Chinese high school students.” Adolescence 33.130 (1998): 385.