Urdu at Home blog

Your children have the RIGHT to learn Urdu!

Do you think its time to scratch the old tag of “ABCD” for children born and raised in USA? What does it mean to be an American Born Desi these days anyway? Can we now say that our kids are no longer CONFUSED any more? There was a time when children born in USA having Pakistani or Indian parents were automatically tagged as ABCD. But my experience in living here for more than a decade tells me that it was not the kids but the parents who got a little confused along the way. Back than, the cultural and community support system was not as developed (as we see now) and following the ethnic, cultural and social values was a much bigger challenge.

For most parents, it was a big challange to teach their young children Urdu and the good quality resources were also not easily available. But, there were some parents who accepted the challenge; they tried very hard and made sure that their children understand and appreciate their roots and cultural. They took their children to Independence Day celebrations, EID celebrations, weekly Urdu classes etc. They also established rules that when at home speak and answer only in Urdu. It was really tough but they stick with it because they understood the value of what was at stake. Their hard work paid off and when the children grew up they appreciated the sacrifices made by their parents.

The same challenges that parents faced a decade earlier are still there but so are the opportunities to deal with them. With the advent of technology, we have the resources on our finger tips and the old excuses don’t hold any more weight. If we do not provide our children access to the resources that they need to stay connected with their roots we as parents are the ones who will be held responsible. When our children grow up without good understanding of their language and culture they will (rest assured of that) blame their parents and we have seen this happening already. When that time comes, you will not be in no position to tell your children why they couldn’t make an extra effort because it will be too late by than.

We have to constantly remind ourselves, when we loose our culture, we loose our identity. You can never change the color of your skin or your heritage, accept it! So be proud of your roots and make sure you children are well aware of it as well. Don’t treat Urdu language as something they will pick up here and there. It doesn’t work like that and in your heart you know it as well. Give them access to the professional resources and spend time with them. Trust me it’s worth it!

Happy Learning!