Americans adopting in China

[Guest blsqueaky]

This was something that I was thinking about on my last trip to GZ, and this is after watching all of the couples pushing along their strollers or walking with their new child and that it:

 

The chinese are very big on retaining their culture and passing it down to the children, and let it keep passing down, so my question is, when a couple from either Europe or America adopt and bring home, how to they pass on the culture so that the child always knows and remembers their heritage.

 

Just something that I was wondering about.

[warpedbored]

Interestingly enough I have spoken with some parents of adopted Chinese babies. The vast majority voice an interest in the child learning Chinese and being taught about thier country of origin. I remember one little girl in particular who was listening in on the conversation who piped up and said "I Cantonese!" Seems maybe those parents need a lesson in correct terminology lol.

[chinadave2001]

there is a book you may find interesting called "lost duaghters of china" its about the thousands of little chinese girls who have been adopted in the USA.....and deals exactly with some of the issues you have raised....

dave

[Guest blsqueaky]

You know, here is something that is strange, and kinda DejaVu, today I was at the good old Eagles here in town, and I ran into one of the other patrons, and somehow this subject came up, and he told me that his brother and wife are leaving for Shanghai next month to adopt, and he was wondering the same thing, how are they going to teach this small little newborn about the culture.

 

Yes Carl, you brought up a good point, but one thing, in all of my travels, I have never heard of a school that teaches the Chinese language here in the states, and also, there is so much about China that even we do not know, just things that the parents over there pass down thru the generations.

 

You know that these are just thoughts of mine, especially since I would not want them to miss out on learning all about their culture, and the beauty of it, and also the hardships, pretty much what our children (or at least some of them) learn about ours.

[se_lang]

Yes Carl, you brought up a good point, but one thing, in all of my travels, I have never heard of a school that teaches the Chinese language here in the states, and also, there is so much about China that even we do not know, just things that the parents over there pass down thru the generations.

 

There are a few schools I have found that have 4 year degree's for Chinese language & culture, also there is a grade school arounf me here that teaches for chinese kids not sure where it is though.

[Mick]

In some cities, churches, especially Chinese churches, offer classes in Chinese for children of immigrants or second generation Chinese-Americans who want to learn the language. I know in Miami they have large classes at one of the churches. Even in Huntsville, Alabama they have a class like this. Huntsville is not that large. Population is around 200,000.

[Guest blsqueaky]

Thanks everyone for your input here. I guess that what I am trying to say, okay, if there is a school in the area, and they send their child there, are they really going to learn their true heritage and what actually happened over the years so that they will know what their ancestors endured.

 

It is like us here in America, do we really learn what is going on in China, or just what the media wants to tell us. I know that when I am there visiting, I actually get to hear what their media is saying. I know that I have some friends here that still think and believe what they here from the media, but now lately, they will listen to me and start to learn. I know that I live in a small burg of about 2800 people, but if they learn and pass on to someone else, then I have accomplished something.

 

Heck, I remember a few years ago I was talking to some friends, and they did not even learn in history that when China was invaded by Japan, that the people in Shanghai hid our Marines and got them out safely.

[MarkLuvsShuPing]

I am a professed ignoramous when it comes to Chinese history and culture. When I met ShuPing, I was just looking for a connection to a different culture, not a wife. My trip to China was eye-opening in the extreme and I still don't know diddley.

 

I have this argument with a co-worker all the time. We talk about different cultures, primarily African-American because that's his culture, and how the WASP (White AngloSaxon Protestant) power structure teaches only WASP history and values. His solution is to segregate all races and teach them in segregated classrooms until they enter college. His point being that this is the only was they can truly learn about their culture and heritage and get a sense of who they are.

 

"How can a white teacher impart the culture and values of black America to any child, black or white?"

 

I agree with his point, but I disagree with his method. I believe only a family can teach their their heritage to a child. A neighbor can come close, a neighborhood, church or community group can teach some, but only a family can give a child a sense of him/herself via family roots and knowledge of the family.

 

Unfortunately, there are too many broken families who have no sense of their own identity to impart any of that to their children. Still, all it takes is a mother or father, sitting down with their child and telling the story of that child's birth to give that child a small sense of who he/she is. The more a child learns about it's mother and/or father, the more they know about themselves.

 

Confuscious and the Chinese people hit on a very neccessary ingredient for the survival of a people - ancestrial honor and respect for one's culture and history. How many thousands of years has this sustained that country? America doesn't have that sense of self for the most part.

 

Getting back to the adopted Chinese children. Adopted parents, especially those from another country and culture, will never be able to adequately teach these children the native culture, but they can teach about the love and concern they have for each other. They can teach about their family history. Giving that child a sense of self is what's important, especially since that child will never really know his/her native culture as well as someone who grew up in China. The adoptive parents provide a trade off for the child, love of a family for cultural heritage. I'm sure it's a trade off that those kids will appreciate.

[se_lang]

I dont think any amount of education here in US can remotely give a child a since of the culture in China it can teach him about it but with out living it a person will never fully understand it.

 

Just my thought.