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Emerging
A story of my son’s gradual connection with who he is
Late last year, I published an article about how my 9-year old son didn’t want to wear his traditional attire to a Chicago public school because he wasn’t proud of it, and how that gave me doubts about my impact on him as a culturally sensitive father. This is a follow up to that story, and a confirmation of my conviction that becoming takes time.
Write About Your Culture
Mr. Wallace — my son’s amiable 4th grade teacher had given him a social studies assignment to write about his culture — something he knew little about. True to his personality, my son grumbled and fretted at his desk, struggling to do the assignment, reluctant to seek help from his mother and I. Walking into his room to find him grumbling and moody, I asked what the problem was. Ever eager to lift him out of his frustration, I offered a hand and he took it.
Write some facts about your culture, and develop them into 3 or more paragraphs, the question had said.
“But dad, I don’t know anything about my culture,” my boy replied.
“How can you not know anything about your culture?” I asked. “What language do we speak? Where are we from? What do we believe? What do we eat? What do we wear? These are the questions you want to ask…
