Incorporating Your Child's Birth Culture
By Deb Amend
As parents of internationally adopted children we all know the importance of celebrating our children's birth cultures. However, in the hustle and bustle of daily life, this is a topic that is easily forgotten. The simplest ways to celebrate your child's birth culture is to have it integrated into your daily life -- something that can seem easier said than done. So, how can we teach our children about their birth cultures in a way that is both obtainable for our families, and inviting to the child?
Home décor can be the simplest way to create a multicultural environment. Make it a priority when you are traveling to purchase items of cultural significance. Nesting dolls, quilts, sculptures and even those cute little ethnic outfits can be used for decorating. In fact, our living room hosts a pair of camel hair boots displayed next to a Kazakh hat. It is a unique decoration that has grabbed the attention of many visitors!
What if you didn't have the opportunity to purchase anything while in your child's birth country? Or what if your child was escorted to the US? The internet is a valuable tool in that case, offering many options for parents to buy cultural objects.
Each culture, too, has toys, games and traditions that can be brought into your home. Each Easter, our family enjoys creating Krashanka, the child's version of psanky, Ukrainian Easter Eggs. Rolling hoops, playing soccer, hide and seek, marbles and jump rope are all games played by children both here and around the world. Finding games that your family is already interested in and then linking them to your child's birth culture can be a successful way to integrate.
The Public Library also offers opportunities for cultural exploration, through their large selection of children's books. Every Christmas season, our family reads the picture book, Babushka: an Old Russian Folktale by Charles Mikolaycak. The story, a retelling of a traditional tale, is about an old lady who misses the opportunity to see the Christ Child. Consequently, she still travels the world today, looking for him in every home. As the story goes, when she leaves a home, she always leaves a small trinket and the scent of cinnamon. And, one day, each Christmas season, our children climb into bed, a hint of cinnamon in the air and a small piece of candy on their pillow.
Grace Chen, a Chinese American and resident of Cincinnati, talks about a popular Chinese tradition, "One of my favorite Chinese traditions growing up as a child is the 'red package' given to the children on Chinese New Year. The adults usually give to the kids money in a red envelop as a gift for Chinese New Year."
Another option is to add ethnic recipes into your family's regular menu. Simple items, with ingredients that can be bought are your local grocery store, are always most likely to succeed. For example, Grace Chen recommends a simple dish that many Chinese children love: steamed egg.
Scramble two eggs, and mix in 2 cups of water and ¼ teaspoon salt. Steam the mixture for 10 minutes until it looks like a very soft egg custard. Children like to eat it with plain rice. You can also pour gravy or meat sauce over it.
If you are a more adventurous cook, you can expand your shopping beyond the local grocery store. Throughout the city are various ethnic markets that sell the more difficult to find ingredients. Jungle Jim's International Market located on Dixie Highway in Fairfield is an excellent resource for adoptive families. Cincinnati Asian Market in Evendale offers authentic Chinese food and other cultural items, such as the red envelopes used for Chinese New Year.
Other opportunities in the Cincinnati are offered by the museum center. The Cincinnati Museum Center at Union Terminal has held culture festivals, and houses a permanent exhibit in the Children's Museum called "Children Like Me," which focuses on children living in various cultures around the world. The International Visitors Council of Greater Cincinnati offers families the opportunity to host international visitors during their stay in Cincinnati – a chance to both be a diplomat and, possibly, expose your child to a person from their birth culture. Another opportunity offered by the IVC through the University of Cincinnati is the International Friendship Program. You are matched with an international graduate student from a country of your choice. Throughout the year, then, you spend time with the student, inviting them for dinner, taking them to events around the city.
An annual opportunity is held by an area support group called Christian Adoptive Families. On January 13, 2006, at 6:30 pm CAF will host a birth culture party at Life Spring Christian Church in North College Hill. Families will be able to explore foods, games and other aspects of various cultures. (For more information, see the additional resources below.)
While celebrating our children's birth cultures can seem as though "just another thing on the to-do list," the advantages far outweigh the sacrifices. Just a bit of preparation can bring years of blessing to your entire family.
Additional Resources
- International Visitors Council of Greater Cincinnati
Fourth and Walnut Center
105 East Fourth Street, Suite 510
Cincinnati, Ohio 45202
513-241-7384 - Cincinnati Chinese Church
1393 Compton Road
Cincinnati, Ohio 45231
513-931-2381
Always open to visits from families looking for ways to connect their Chinese children with other Chinese people. - "Chinese Made Easy, LLC"
717-560-2168
violetwchen@gmail.com
Offers many books and resources about Chinese culture. - Christian Adoptive Families
Melinda Hickman, 513-661-6278
Deb Amend, deborah.amend@gmail.com
Support group that focuses on encouragement and support throughout all phases of the adoption process.
