We all learnt how to swim from our parents.
We learnt how to navigate the ins and outs of childhood, the places to avoid and who to dodge.
When you come from a small country or even a small city in a big country, everyone knows everyone. It is a different culture, it is the culture of familiarity. In the 80’s before everyone had cellphones, my sister was having a smoke in the mall. The news got home before my sister did. Phones were not as fast as the speed of mouth.
Then suddenly you are here. Your environment has changed and your safety net is gone. When your teenagers say, they are going out, even if they tell you where…you have no idea where there is. Their friends are online, in person, texting, in school, in chat rooms and on various other forms of social media. Some you will never see.
It is easy to say it would not be this way if you stayed where you were, but the world has changed dramatically with internet. The feeling of lack of control/ awareness of your teenager’s world would have happened anyway…wherever they were.
I have had conversations with my kids that I would never dream of having with my parents…even now. It is possible to walk in two worlds but remember your kids only know one, the one you gave them when you brought them to Canada. Try to learn their world.
I have stumbled through conversations on gender. I knew of only two when I was growing up and there are many more. We need to open ourselves to this new world because we have help our kids navigate through it. Don’t judge. Stay close to them by being open.
TO BE CONTINUED…
The world needs more Canada
