08/31/2026
Being a good immigrant daughter was a second job, but no one ever called it that
“你的女儿好乖” which means your “daughter is so obedient and well behaved” in Chinese, is of the highest praises you could get
Translating for your parents at the doctor’s office, the bank, parent-teacher conferences, adult conversations you had no business being in
Handling forms, paperwork, appointments that were never your responsibility but became your job because you were the only one who spoke English
Mediating conflicts between your parents, or your parents and relatives, and becoming the family’s unofficial translator, not just bc language barriers, but bc of tension itself
This was always framed as helping your family and being a good daughter so it wasn’t even something you could resent, because it couldn’t be named
This is parentification: when a child takes on adult responsibilities and emotional labor before they’re developmentally ready for it
Being 乖 (guāi / well behaved) wasn’t about being a good kid, but rather being useful, compliant, and quiet
And bc the praise reinforced your role, the better you did, the more you got asked to do…which meant love came from overextending yourself
To me, this feels different from a Western toxic parent dynamic because it’s embedded in cultural obligation, where helping your family becomes your identity
Naming this as “乖女儿” the good daughter offers a language for something that happened to you, and it does not mean you’re dishonoring your culture
You can love where you came from and still say that was too much responsibility for a child to carry
No matter your culture, were you expected to take on adult responsibilities early on?
Comment below to help other survivors feel understood 💚