what kinds of problems have you encountered with parenting that were due to a difference in nationality/ ethnicity?
2007-07-01 19:37:08 · 6 answers · asked by That Guy Drew 6 in Pregnancy & Parenting ➔ Parenting
cs_1498, that's interesting. i myself come from a german-american family, and we speak an american dialect of low german. if you're living in america, you should definitely teach your kids spanish. i work with hispanic people everyday, and as a result, i wish i were more proficient in the language. i'm not sure if german is really that important here though. :(
i want my kids to learn my family's dialect, but only as a way to keep the heritage alive.
2007-07-01 20:12:39 · update #1
My husband is mexican and i'm German. Luckily we were together long enough before we had kids and we talked about how we wanted parent and raise our children and what kind of people we hope for them to be as adults for quite a few years before having our twins. They are only 8 months old, but the only MAJOR conflict we have is that I want them to learn, spanish and german as well as english, my husband doesn't want to teach them anything but english. This has always been an issue with us, other than that i'd have to say its the foods that they'll be exposed to, my husband HATES german food with a passion but I really want my children exposed to it regularly as that is what my family eats back home. But I have no doubt that we'll figure something out, for now I speak a little german and spanish to them but not as much as I would like.
2007-07-01 19:45:53 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 0⤋
My husband and I are from different nationalities. However, we are of the same religion and similar upbringing in regard to morals and values -- that seems to be a MORE important thing for couples and raising children, rather than the cultural things. Seems to cause more strife and confusion if religions are different - if there isn't a single, cohesive faith the family follows.
The ethnic things like traditions, food, language - all depend upon the area you are from, and how much you want to practice them. Of course, it's always an advantage for children to learn more than one language, as well as traditions being practiced in the home which reflect the heritage of both parents.
2007-07-02 00:43:08 · answer #2 · answered by Lydia 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
My husband is white and I am black. He has blond hair and blue eyes. I am your typical dark brown hair and brown eyes. Plus we are both a little bit of Cherokee, German, Polish, just mutts basically.
Since we are a military couple this is quite normal to have interracial/intercultural couples and children. The only thing that has bothered me is that my children don't know what color they are. My son thought he was white for a long time. My daughter has come to the conclusion that she is peach. Mostly it just seems to be a matter of confusion of what color they are exactly.
Now with my husband and I, our problem is in how we classify our children when it comes to medical records and just for our own sake. I like to say they are black because they are (black as in African-American) darker than their father. He says they are mixed but I think that that is very confusing to them because at this point and time they need to be one thing.
My husband and I also differ in religion. He is wiccan and I am gnostic. We have come to the conclusion that it is best to just be broad about our religious beliefs and say that we believe in God (or Goddess) and leave it at that.
Our major problem has been the in-laws (his) because they attempt to teach our children Christianity. This wouldn't be a problem if it wasn't for the fact that I think that is sheep mentality. I try to keep the visits short.
We don't follow the customs of our cultures (just the pop culture) so we don't have any issues there.
Good luck.
2007-07-01 20:20:14 · answer #3 · answered by shawonda 3 · 2⤊ 0⤋
having next to no relatives,apart from immediate family courtesy of ww2 and marrying into a family where relatives down to "the fifth cousin twice removed" figured heavily on one side, I have to agree with the food issue.....On the occasional "ethnic" slather .....eat what is there or dip out.
culturally - I had to learn some stuff I NEVER grew up with...
Mind you bringing up of 4 kids - No cultural divide...
Bratty versus well-behaved is universal!
2007-07-01 20:24:59 · answer #4 · answered by renclrk 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Well I wouldnt call them problems but rather differences that have come up.. My girlfriend is Mexican and I am black, she wants to baptise our child Catholic, i want it to be baptised mthodist. Then things like racial identity come up, but if both parties talk it out and are fair, then all will be good
2007-07-01 22:33:07 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
alot!bt dats along story.sory.bt i still hurts
2007-07-01 21:32:46 · answer #6 · answered by Caz 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋