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Across Cultures

What You Can Do to Celebrate Your Family's Diversity

By Lisa A. Goldstein

Adopted from Korea at 10 months of age by Caucasian parents, MeeJin Annan-Brady's parents sent her to Korean camps at a young age, hoping she would identify with her culture. The now 23-year-old also participated in programs organized by her adoption agency. She was reluctant to attend these events, however, and by the time she was 6 or 7, didn't want to go anymore.

"My parents didn't force me into my culture," Annan-Brady says. "Growing up, I had very little connection to my Korean culture, and I did not care." It wasn't until she was a senior in high school that Annan-Brady started becoming more interested in the fact that she was Korean. "I suppose I was embarrassed by my lack of knowledge about my own culture and background," she says.

Looking back, Annan-Brady says that both she and her parents regret not having continuously encouraged her to learn more about her culture once she displayed disinterest. This pitfall is one that adoptive parents can avoid. But how can parents really get to know and understand their child's culture so that the child may learn to love both cultures?

It may be as simple as the name. Annan-Brady says one important connection to her culture that she's always had is her name. "My parents chose to keep my Korean name, MeeJin," she says. "They did not change it. Despite the many years of cringing when people butchered my name and sometimes wishing I could have an easy name like Mary, I am forever grateful that my name was kept intact. I now love my name and love that my full name really shows my true identity some Korean combined with my parents' influence." Learning the language is another way to gain knowledge about the culture. Annan-Brady says it's a challenge to learn a new language in your early 20s; it would have been much easier with an earlier start.

When Court Blatchford's daughter Lian was 3, they enrolled as a family in Chinese language school. It took a whole year just to get the hang of Chinese tones, but they stuck it out for three years. They stopped when Lian lost interest, but continue to speak Chinese with Lian and her sister Mei-An.

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