BEARING THE BURDEN OF YOUR RSPONSIBILITY TOWARDS YOUR CULTURE AND HERITAGE
Immigrant parents need to
act responsibly in transferring their heritage language to their children
In the middle of all the hustle and
bustle of life in a new country far from home, one tries to handle matters as
it relates to a new set of priorities. Teaching your children your heritage
language seems less important to many immigrant parents as in most cases, they
feel that learning heritage language will come naturally for their children as
it did for them.
However, your being in a foreign
country makes it more difficult for your children to learn your heritage
language naturally as the majority of the people in your country of migration
will be speaking their own native language which will most often be different
from your own heritage language. If you deny your child the opportunity of
learning your heritage language, chances are that your child will be lost in
this new cultural setup. This will not just break your next generation’s link
with your heritage, but will leave them to grow into adulthood without a true
sense of identity. Immigrant parents who did not make effort in transferring
their heritage language t their children often later regret their actions and
often times wish they could reverse their actions.
What
you have to do is stop for a moment and think about how it will feel to have
children who do not share your culture and do not understand your traditions
and even your heritage language. They will not maintain their contact with
their extended families back home. No participation in religious and cultural
activities associated with your heritage and they are totally aliens to your
traditions and ceremonies.
Who do
you think is responsible for teaching them all that they need to know about
your heritage language and culture? Perhaps back home it was just a matter of
routine because everything would happen normally but in a foreign land where
the traditions are totally different it is entirely your responsibility to
teach them. At this point the question arises, “Do you know how to do that”?
Probably most of the people have no idea how to go about this entire issue and
therefore set it aside for the time being till it is too late both for them and
their children.
What has to be understood is that
there are so many resources that are available to assist you in your pursuance
of teaching heritage language to your children. All you have to do is look
around. You will find so many people from your own community who have been
successful in achieving this goal. The world around you is full of resources,
ideas and tips to guide you and practically help you in bearing you cultural
responsibilities towards your children.
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