Page 90 - Keralite Magazine _new 1 copy

part of India over 30 years ago. My sister and I were
because a lot of times they did not go through the
same things in South India when they were growing
up.
It’s OK.
The kids seem to want to be independent and at
first glance, they seem to be very rebellious. They
want to find their own path in life. Often times it is
not the path that their parents want for them.
I am no di erent. My family wanted me to go into
the medical field but I chose to go into the business
field and now I am a writer too. I chose my own path
to happiness in life.
Constant misunderstandings lead to more
arguments…
But that’s the thing. It’s all just a misunderstanding. There will keep being miscommunication and
I have learned over the years that the best way to
fix a misunderstanding is to communicate better.
It will be hard but we must try.
Because actions speak louder than words.
Because actions speak louder than words.
Work As A Team
A family should be a well-oiled machine. A family
should work very well together. Each member of
the family has di erent strengths and weaknesses.
But…
When everyone is on the same page and working
together, beautiful things can happen.
No family is perfect and we all have our own issues
but if we want to live successful lives we must work
together.
Often times it is easy for the kids to want to go their
own way and for the parents to go their own way
too. In America, it is easy to be surrounded by
people all the time and yet feel like you do not have
a single person in the whole world that cares about
you.
Where friendships fail and relationships can die…
The family must always stay strong and persevere.
Often times in life the strength of my parents and
the love of my sister have carried me through my
most di cult times. Whenever I felt I wanted to quit
or give up on a goal or dream I had I would always
remember how hard my dad worked every single
day so that our family could have a better life. The
memories of him working tirelessly always inspired
me.
KERALITE
2018
Photo by NitishMeena on Unsplash
Communicate Better
Communication is key. Your parents cannot read
your mind. Your kids cannot read your mind. As a
family, you will need to be honest with each other
and talk to each other. I know it sounds simple but
often times it is a hard thing for us to do.
One idea I have is to have regular dinners as a family
once or twice a week. These dinners will present a
great opportunity for the kids to share with their
parents how their day was. The parents can also
talk about what happened during their workday. I
know it will be an adjustment for a lot of us to do
such a thing but we need to try. If we keep doing
the same things over and over again then we will
keep getting the same results.
misunderstandings. We absolutely need to make
more of an e ort to communicate with each other.
We need to talk about our struggles and our fears.
There needs to be a level of comfort between the
kids and the parents. Kids should feel comfortable
with talking to their parents about problems they
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When I was hurt by di erent people throughout my
life I always remembered my mother’s love. Her
kindness and ability to forgive others made me
want to let go of my own pain and forgive others.
The love she always showed me made me capable
of loving others. My sister is very di erent from me
and yet she inspires me daily to work hard and go
after what I want in life. She is a phenomenal person
who is kind and intelligent and I know she will
achieve great things in life.
All in all, I wish you and your family the very best in
your journey.
As we go through life let us work together to make
this life a beautiful one.
Because we only get one chance and sadly life
moves very quickly.
Enjoy your life and take care of one another.
I know it will be hard but we must try.
Because actions speak louder than words.
Your Turn
How well does your family do together as a team?
born in America in the Metro Detroit area.
Those are some important facts to keep in mind.
Because…
My parents grew up in a di erent culture and during
much di erent times than my sister and I did.
The Cause Of Many Arguments
And Misunderstandings
And that has been the cause of many arguments
and misunderstandings between us American born
kids and our immigrant parents.
The cultural di erences are appalling. The kids
usually have a very hard time understanding why
their parents think and act so di erently from them.
The parents feel the same way about their kids.
Parents of course always want what is best for their
kids, it is a big reason why they moved to America
to start their family here and not in India.
Immigrant parents move to America in hopes of a
better life for themselves and their families. They
want their kids to grow up with everything that they
themselves never had. Parents want their kids to
end up becoming better human beings than them
someday.
My own father told me yesterday…
I want you to try to be an even better person than
me. I want you to try to be a better father than I
was. Making money is one thing but what I really
want is for you to try to be a better person than I
was. You must try your very best to do this.
Unfortunately, the parents never expect all the
distractions and freedoms that America has to
o er. It is hard being a kid and growing up in this
country. It is very easy to lose your way and lose
your focus. It is even harder when your parents do
not always understand what you are going through
My parents moved to America from the southern
are facing so that they do not feel alone in their met anyone that cares about mine and my sister’s
battles. Parents need to provide emotional support well-being as much as our parents do.
to their kids. We need to work together as a team Also, parents need to show some respect to their
so everyone can achieve whatever it is they want to kids. Kids these days go to schools where they do
achieve.
not even feel safe. If you look at the news every
It will be hard but we must try. couple of months there is another school shooting.
Kids are dealing with bullying, drugs, violence, and
Because actions speak louder than words. all kinds of other terrible things. Often times they
do not know how to talk to their parents about
Respect Each Other these things because they feel that their parents
cannot relate to these problems.
Kids need to show respect to their parents. Our
immigrant parents will rarely complain about how It is hard being a kid these days. Unfortunately, I do
hard they have had to work to support us not think it is easy to be a carefree happy kid these
financially. Our parents will quietly shoulder the days. Times have changed and kids are being
burden and make sure their families are safe and forced to grow up faster and faster nowadays.
protected. Our parents are warriors but unlike most Technology is only making things worse in a lot of
people, they just do not run around telling everyone aspects for children. Parents, please try and
how hard they work. They do not need to tell understand what your kids are going through. Their
anyone how hard they work. problems are probably di erent than the problems
you dealt with when you were a kid in South India
I am willing to bet any amount of money that your but nonetheless they are major problems for your
parents would do anything to help you. They would children.
make any sacrifice necessary to make sure that you Show respect and empathy toward your children.
get what you need to live a good life. Your parents
are working tirelessly to make sure that they are I know it will be hard but we must try.
laying down a solid
foundation for you to turn
into a great human being.
No one else on this Earth
will love you as much and
sacrifice as much for you
as your parents will.
Trust me when I say that.
I have met thousands of
people in my life. I have
been all over this country
and to di erent parts of
the world. I still have not
met a single man or
woman that has as good of
a work ethic as my mom
and dad. I have also never