Introduction to Adventures in Multicultural Living: The Project Explained
It all started when my husband first asked me to marry him. I said, "Under one condition, that we never live in the Midwest."
View ArticleIs Christmas any less Christian if you put up a Bodhi Day tree?
I nearly scared my children to death with the pronouncement, "Now that weire Buddhist, maybe we shouldn't celebrate Christmas anymore."
View ArticleLiving in harmony in a great world house on Martin Luther King Day
I sometimes think that one reason some people resist multiculturalism and resent diversity is that it is simply not easy to live together with other people. It is no fun to compromise. It is...
View ArticleSo what’s the big deal about sleepovers, anyhow?
On my 16th birthday, a blond classmate was shocked to discover that I would not also, automatically, be allowed to date. “But it’s a Constitutional right that you are allowed to date when you turn...
View ArticleSorting through the varied hues of Easter – cultural or religious holiday?
Because I went to Catholic Schools, I had no idea that there was more to Easter than Easter Mass.
View ArticleMother’s Day in Mandarin at the Chinese Speech Tournament
My daughter Hao Hao was once a timid child who cried at every little thing. She even got kicked out of sports camp because she dissolved into a flood of tears every time she got "out" in softball or...
View ArticleCrime Without Punishment: Why the Death of Vincent Chin Resonates Today
Before I came to Michigan for graduate school, the only thing I knew about Michigan was that it was where Vincent Chin was killed. My parents’ Japanese-American neighbors warned me to sell my father’s...
View ArticleIslam and Child Discipline: Is Hitting Ever Ok?
In the past, when I have written about Islam’s perspective on child discipline, I described it as one where gentleness is preferred according to the tradition of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon...
View ArticleCelebrating Japanese Culture with the Obon Dance
Celebrating Japanese culture with the obon dance—just follow the old aunties
View ArticleRhythms of the Season
After a long trip away from home, one of the first things I always do upon our return is take all the kids to buy groceries at our favorite Chinese grocery store. I love watching them zip around,...
View ArticleThe Unexpected Joys of Parenting Teens
I never knew I would enjoy the humor and light breezy spirit of teenagers so much. When the kids were little, I was so afraid of what these teenage years would bring.
View ArticleOde to Halloween Costumes, Plus a Warning about Bad Ones
Growing up in the age of Farrah Fawcett, I knew that one had to be blond in order to be beautiful, by definition. However, once a year, I could be whatever I wanted to be, travel backwards and forwards...
View ArticleDistant Relatives versus Nearby Friends on Thanksgiving
My parents say that there is a Chinese saying (there is always a Chinese saying) about how distant relatives are not as good as nearby friends.
View ArticleRacism in the Extended Family on the Holidays
The Sunday after Thanksgiving is the day we gratefully drive back to our own home in our own town with our own way of doing things, and are stuck in the car together for hours and have no choice but to...
View ArticleExplaining History and Racism to Grandpa
The importance of understanding history and politics in raising multicultural kids.
View ArticleLinsanity’s Impact on My Son
I missed the first week of Linsanity because I was caught up in fighting the racist China-fear-mongering Pete Hoekstra political ad that aired during the Superbowl.
View ArticleLessons I do not want to teach my children–about Dharun Ravi, Trayvon Martin,...
After Indian American Rutgers student Dharun Ravi was convicted of bias intimidation, I sent the very long New Yorker article about the case to my teenagers so that they can understand what kind of...
View ArticleWhy the Diane Tran Happy Ending Bothers Me
The story of Diane Tran, the Texan honors student jailed for missing school when she was working full-time to support two siblings without parents, luckily has a happy ending. But I am bothered by all...
View ArticleA Taste of Summer at the Japanese-American Obon Festival
Dancing at the obon festival where my children love dressing up in kimono and yukata and dancing around the yagura tower with the community, eating delicious food.
View ArticleWhat do you mean you don’t vote?
Sometimes friends tease me for being so naïve and idealistic. But with the elections upon us, I am there once again. I cannot help it. As the child of immigrants, I was raised valuing freedom and...
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