APA Parenting Meme
from rice daddies, my online posse of asian-am family guys...
I'm tagging Bren's mom, Tina Chen, mamatoblerone, Roland Tanglao, Julie Leung, DJ Chuang...
1. I am:
Chinese-American, 2nd generation. Parents from Hong Kong.
Chinese-American, of a Singaporean-American mum.
3. I first realized I was APA when:
I moved from Peoria, IL and flourished at Lowell High School in San Francisco, where APAs rule.
4. People think my name is:
most uncomfortably, unspeakable terms like eunuch but more often enik or enuch, whereas i prefer ee-nah-ch (not this spelling, just pronounciation)
5. The family tradition I most want to pass on is:
A new one: being Mr Mom as well as full-time working dad. It was the biggest compliment paid to me yesterday at PAMP's health fair @ PAMF when a mom came up to me and told me they didn't realize I worked full time since they'd seen me as Mr Mom for my family in Preschool Family Co-op and birthday parties...
6. The family tradition I least want to pass on is:
Chinese formality and default filial piety.
7. My child's first word in English was:
#1: ma
#2: ma
8. My child's first non-English word was:
#1: nai nai (milk)
#2: mama (which he uses to call me as well)
9. The non-English word/phrase most used in my home is:
Sik Fan : time to eat! in cantonese
10. One thing I love about being an APA parent is:
The community of them around here
11. One thing I hate about being an APA parent is:
Expectations, stereotypes and presumption of youth since my kids are small in stature
12. The best thing about being part of an APA family is:
Committment to working it out rather than ditching it
13. The worst thing about being part of an APA family is:
Filial piety and extended family expectations
14. To me, being Asian Pacific American means:
Embracing my identity but expressing it in participation in the greater ethnic community rather than one focused soley on my own, e.g. PAMP Parents Club, ALCF, Preschool Family Co-op, Palo Alto Neighborhoods
Update: DJ declines, saying he's doesn't identify with mainstream asian american Christians... funny thing, i don't either...
Comments
Thanks for inviting me to the meme, and sorry that I don't have quite enough time to do this reflection via this lens. Yes, I do have an Asian (Chinese, to be specific) heritage, and it would have been too curt to say n/a to 90% of these questions, tho' if I had more time to give it, I could find an answer to more of these questions than I initially reacted.
And, the other funny (and not so funny) thing is, that a significant part of my work revolves around Asian American Christian ministry issues, and yet my parenting style and lifestyle mostly doesn't not involve that lens.