I am so thankful that I have a kid from China. The mere fact that my son was born in a foreign country opens up a world that I would have never known about. I should have known about it, and I would like to think that I would have been open minded enough to raise a biological child with the same eye on the bigger picture. But let's be honest. Work, laundry, cooking dinner, birthday parties, trips to the park, t-ball and swim lessons, family events, date night, family vacations - life would have crept in and before I knew it that child would be grown and getting ready to embark on a family of his or her own. And all without any thought to teaching that child the amazing differences the cultures of this world have to offer. But my Chinese son turns our family into a multi-cultural one, and being a multi-cultural family carries with it a lot of responsibility.
Last weekend we went downtown to the dragon boat races. Two dragon boat race clubs from PA traveled to Columbus to run exhibition races in the river downtown. In between the races we experienced a lion dance and a dragon parade. The dancing was accompanied by a group of young musicians playing authentic Chinese instruments. I watched my son's eyes light up as he watched the lion dance closer and closer to where we were sitting. He shyly fed the lion his huang bao - a traditional red envelope filled with money. In this case, a donation to the dance troupe. As I looked around I saw a variety of nationalities represented, both in the audience and in the entertainment. All these different people coming together to share the food, music, dance, history and traditions of the Chinese culture. I was impressed by the all white families in attendance. Would I have brought any other child to this event?
I am so proud of my multi-cultural family. We are learning so much, together.
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