Explanation:
It refers to the different types of personalities of children (daughters) Jing-mei's mother perceives. That is to say, there are daughters who willfully yield to the directions of their parents, and also those who blatantly refuse to obey.
For example, in the story, we are told about the many pressures faced by Jing-mei from her mother to become a child prodigy; that is, for her to overperform and achieve success beyond her age. However, Jing-mei isn't willing to yield to such directions.