Re: How to raise Bicultural kids ?
• How should we raise our children? • Should we speak two languages at home or one? • Teach them both religions? • Celebrate the holidays of both cultures? • Are we prepared for our children to look like “the other side” of the family or neither? • Should we give them names acceptable to both cultures or names typical of one or the other? If so, which one? • What kind of education do we want them to have? How will we teach them the things they won’t learn in school? • At a more fundamental level, how should we teach them to behave and what methods should we use? What is your take ? How are you dealing with these and similar questions ?
We need to first decide our level of reigious involvement. Establish the practice in our home. Then teach the children.
We speak both Urdu & English at home.
They only follow one religion. More than one creates confusion. As they grow, they will learn to respect and tolerate other religions, but as muslims, they can only follow one.
My older daughter goes to school so they do celebrate all the holidays there, but we have taught her that as muslims we don't do certain things at home and she has no problem with that.
I think kids learn best by example. So if I do not do namaaz at home how can I teach them to do so? Also, the association we keep strongly influences a child's upbringing. We have friends from all backgrounds, but most of our social getherings are with like minded people of muslim background because we are more comfortable.
Both my daughters names are Arabic names but easy to pronounce. That was our personal choice.