In the middle of all the hustle and bustle of life in a new country far from home, one tries to handle matters as it relates to a new set of priorities. Teaching your children your heritage language seems less important to many immigrant parents as in most cases, they feel that learning heritage language will come naturally for their children as it did for them.
However, your being in a foreign country makes it more difficult for your children to learn your heritage language naturally as the majority of the people in your country of migration will be speaking their own native language which will most often be different from your own heritage language. If you deny your child the opportunity of learning your heritage language, chances are that your child will be lost in this new cultural setup. This will not just break your next generation’s link with your heritage, but will leave them to grow into adulthood without a true sense of identity. Immigrant parents who did not make effort in transferring their heritage language t their children often later regret their actions and often times wish they could reverse their actions.
What you have to do is stop for a moment and think about how it will feel to have children who do not share your culture and do not understand your traditions and even your heritage language. They will not maintain their contact with their extended families back home. No participation in religious and cultural activities associated with your heritage and they are totally aliens to your traditions and ceremonies.
Who do you think is responsible for teaching them all that they need to know about your heritage language and culture? Perhaps back home it was just a matter of routine because everything would happen normally but in a foreign land where the traditions are totally different it is entirely your responsibility to teach them. At this point the question arises, “Do you know how to do that”? Probably most of the people have no idea how to go about this entire issue and therefore set it aside for the time being till it is too late both for them and their children.
What has to be understood is that there are so many resources that are available to assist you in your pursuance of teaching heritage language to your children. All you have to do is look around. You will find so many people from your own community who have been successful in achieving this goal. The world around you is full of resources, ideas and tips to guide you and practically help you in bearing you cultural responsibilities towards your children.
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