u/Due-Pizza9607

I’m the child of Vietnamese immigrants and while I do speak Vietnamese fluently, I often have troubles with word meanings and their connotations. I’ve always been a little unsure about the emotional connotation of the word “chiều,” especially in family contexts.

For example, my dad often says things like: “Lúc nào ba cũng chiều theo ý mẹ con.”

Literally, I know “chiều” can mean accommodating, indulging, spoiling, or going along with someone’s wishes. But emotionally, it often sounds negative to me — almost like a complaint or a subtle accusation, as if he’s saying:

“I already do everything your way, so you shouldn’t complain.”

Is such an interpretation possible? To native Vietnamese speakers, what does “chiều theo ý người khác” imply?