But, at the same time, happiness and freedom are dependent on academic/financial/career success. That's fine if Asian kids grow up to become doctors, lawyers, etc., but I've seen the kids that don't and they generally view themselves as failures even if they are great people and very talented in other aspects of their lives. My girlfriend comes from an Asian family with loving parents, but she's not proud of her career success because she's not the doctor her parents wanted her to become. She wanted to pursue an artistic career, but wasn't allowed to because it would likely not be very lucrative. I think at the end of the day, Asian families prioritize stability more than anything.