‘Azad Rao Khan’ was the name that fascinated me a couple of years back. Azad is Amir Khan and Kiran Rao’s son, and the way the then couple had named their child hooked me. While the name was just a stepping stone of how beautifully two cultures can amalgamate, today, we have a plethora of examples where individuals from different walks of life break typical social norms and come together as a couple. India Love Project is one such platform that celebrates people who chose their partners from different religions, faith, caste backgrounds and are living a life no less than a fairy-tale. When raising children in multicultural home, more than anyone, it’s the children who seem to flourish the most in such multicultural households and get the best of both worlds in terms of everything.
Perks Of Raising Children In Multicultural Home
1. Stronger Values and Rich Culture
Children learn more by observing than when taught something intentionally. Growing up in a diverse environment, they learn to respect diversity and different cultures way before it is taught and experienced in school and when they take up jobs. When raised in multicultural home, children develop a hybrid cultural identity with much stronger roots and shows tolerance for other cultures.
2. Multilingualism
Famous Indian saying, ‘kos kos par badle paani, chaar kos par baani’ pretty much sums up the diversity in Indian languages. Medical studies conclude that bilingual or multilingual children have higher IQ levels, better cognitive skills, and perform better than monolinguals. Multiple languages broaden child’s horizons and provide them with a better learning experience, a common phenomenon observed in multicultural families.
3. Normalizing Differences
In a land where caste and racial discrimination are common, parents with such differences become the epitome of nullifying such practices. When raising children in multicultural home, parents foster values that lead their kids to work towards integrating society by embracing differences. It also eradicates the idea of superior caste or race and how harmony can be established among people with significant differences.
Recommended reading: 5 Best Books To Teach Children About Diversity
4. More Adoptions
Children of multiracial parents comprehends the positive sides of sharing the roof with a diverse group of people better. They, too, seek partners with diverse backgrounds and tend to expand their family in terms of diversity. According to IFS data, the number of multicultural adopters has risen substantially.
5. Interpersonal Behavior
A child brought up in an adaptive household is usually outgoing and easily socializes up with people with diverse backgrounds. They are much more accepting and flexible than other kids who grow up with people of similar cultural backgrounds. They respect the idea of multiple viewpoints and are more respectful and empathetic towards others.
6. More Experience
We all are the sum of our own experiences and those around us. Having parents who have lived completely different lives and experienced different ethnicities, values, and belief systems is no less than having a reservoir of knowledge. Their children are naturally more woke, well informed, and wiser than others.
Having parents of different cultures is an asset for any child. When raising children in multicultural home, parents redefine and bring about the necessary changes in the family structure. They are not only more understanding but are more approachable than contemporary parents.
Recommended reading: Challenges Of Raising a Child In Intercultural Family
Summary: Perks Of Raising Children In Multicultural Home
