I watched the kids movie Grow the other day and it made me contemplate how many parents have told me that raising kids gave them
-a revival of childlike curiosity and awe towards the world and its creatures
and
-a renewal of that little kid sense of right and wrong that tells you you need to help suffering people and animals when you see them.
I know kids don’t always have this effect on their parents but I wonder what kind of impact having less little ones around will have on society by losing this feedback loop.
One easy example is that bringing home homework often leads to the whole family updating their knowledge—I remember informing my dad that iceberg lettuce had very little nutritional value after learning it in health class!
Omg I thought a lot about wanting to be a parent.
The main thing I’m looking forward to is that same vibe I had with my mom…
Except this time. I can perfect it. I won’t make the same mistakes they did (Oh I’m gonna jinx it aren’t I)
This time it’d be from the other PoV… it’d be so interesting to be on the other side of the parent-child role… like you are the one that has knowledge about the world (including all the world’s cruelty) and have to shield the horrible truth and protect that childhood for as long as you can…
Also my parents are from Rural China, they didn’t have internet growing up…
They can’t really help with any homework lol
Not the math (not that I need help in math lmfao), but especially not any English related subjects…
But THIS TIME around, I can actually be like a teacher at home.
I feel like I have this weird “quest” or “challenge” of wanting to “prove” to my parents that I can be a better parent than they were…
They never told me much useful knowledge about politics…
My older brother is very into conspiracy theories and racial supremacy… (even tho we are minorities in our current country)
One thing is tho: I have no idea if I can even pass down Cantonese…
It’s gonna be kinda sad if I become like this “bridge”…
Like my grandparents speak Taishanese as their first language, then I guess Cantonese, then Mandarin…
I guess my parents also use Taishanese primarily to their parents, but somehow, they have this genious idea of NEVER TEACHING ME TAISHANESE…
So yea, I kinda see a vision of the future from my past
2 Generations ago: Taishanese-Primary, Cantonese + Mandarin Secondary
1 Generation ago: Taishanese-Childhood language, Cantonese-Primary, Mandarin Secondary
Me: Cantonese-Childhood language, Mandarin-Primary for about K-2, then English slowly took over and became the new Primary…
Taishanese is just a Heritage language in the distant memory…
Barely know Taishanese…
Prediction:
Next Gen: English-Childhood Language??? Then Cantonese become their “I know it but not much” Heritage language type of thing?
Then they only hear me talking to my parents in Cantonese, the its English at home? Just like right now its Cantonese at home and I onlg hear Taishanese when my parents talk to their parents…
Welp thanks for reading my random family language trivia…
Wanna bet if I can retain Cantonese?
I mean even if so, they probably wouldn’t be able to read Chinese… characters be hard lol…
Also to wrap up this comment:
I really hope I can teach my children to not be dickheads to new immigrants… I remember so many American-Born Chinese bullied me for being “Fresh off the boat” and not speaking any English…
None of my cousins that were born in the US really wanna befriend me…
I’m gonna be so sad if my children becomes one of those kids that bullied me when I was new to the country…