“That’s just sad”: The Parent Test fans slam the Leong family for the intensive parenting style towards their daughter

The Parent Test is ABC's latest reality Tv series that premiered on Thursday, December 15, 2022, at 10 pm ET/9 pm CT. The brand-new show revolves around 12 parents who follow completely different parenting styles while bringing their kids up.

In episode one, viewers saw four parents with polar opposite parenting styles. While some viewers found a few of the styles helpful, there were a few they were not a fan of.

The official synopsis for The Parent Test reads,

"12 families are put under the microscope in the ultimate parenting stress test that compares multiple styles of parenting."

ABC's The Parent Test is hosted by Ali Wentworth and features renowned child expert Dr. Adolph Brown. From child-led parents to traditional parents, the series features them all.

This week, The Parent Test introduced viewers to four parents- the Wynne family, who practiced new-age parenting, the Leong family, who practiced intensive parenting, the Maghen-Dekels, who practiced routine parenting, and the Webb family, who practiced natural parenting.

While fans appreciated most of the parenting styles featured in episode one, they weren't happy with the Leong family's intensive parenting style. The couple has a six-year-old daughter named Juliette, and although she is just six, she can do middle school-level math and has an IQ of 170.

But what didn't sit well with fans was how the Leong family was parenting her. Juliette's entire day was mapped out for her - from her chores to studies, and even her playtime was something she could learn from.

On top of that, when they gave her a Yes Day (a day when the parents had to say yes to everything the child wanted to do), she didn't want to do anything with her parents and was playing by herself. Many other parents in the series were also not fond of how Mrs. Leong spoke to her child or how she was bringing up her daughter.

Upon witnessing the Leong family's parenting style, fans took to social media to share their opinions.

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Fans slam Leong Family for their intensive parenting style in The Parent Test episode one

Taking to Twitter, fans shared that they felt sad for Juliette, who couldn't enjoy her childhood as a six-year-old. Fans also added that the entire point of Yes Day was for Juliette to do what she wanted and not what her parents wanted her to do. Fans also questioned if being successful was worth being burnt out and stressed all the time.

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Here's a brief recap of what happened this week on The Parent Test episode 1

Willa Leong, Juliette's mum, described intensive parenting as the need to be focused on working towards one's goals. She revealed that they get to work every morning after breakfast and chores, and there were no exceptions. Juliette doesn't even get a day off on her birthday.

This shocked the parents sitting in the audience. Juliette's father shared,

"10,000 hours is the key to becoming excellent at something. And Juliette's motivation is to win. This show is about the best parenting. I think we have a competitive edge."

Juliette's mother added,

"I'm like, 'Look, you can hate me now and love me later.' Because there's no successful people that complains about their parents. None. But almost 100% of losers, homeless people, complain about their parents."

This didn't sit well with other parents on the show. Many teared-up and traumatic events from their childhood were brought up when they were called "losers." But Willa wasn't triggered by it. Although she apologized to the parents for her choice of words, during her confessional, she shared that her daughter "thrives on negative reinforcement."

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The Parent Test airs every Thursday at 10 pm ET only on ABC.