The Best We Could: A Parenting Manual for Our Kids

Episode 020: What got us here won’t get you there… An interview with my dad on growing up as an immigrant in the 60’s


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Several years ago, I recorded an interview with my father about a month after he was diagnosed with colon cancer. We discussed what it was like as a foreigner in the US in the 60’s, as well as his take on where kids today (including my kids) need to direct their focus in order to have a chance at success. I provide my commentary on this old interview.
Summary and Notes


* [00:01:09] How we repeat certain aspects of our parents’ parenting styles without even knowing it… in this instance why my parents did not socialize much when I was little, but they do now.
* [00:03:31] How I repeated that aspect of my parents’ behavior without realizing it… until I listened to this interview with my dad for the second time
* [00:03:46] Observations of unintended consequences of my dad’s strong self-identify as an “American.”
* [00:04:58] My observations on what my dad has to say about college for his grandkids & his work habits
* [00:10:20] Start of Interview with my dad
* [00:22:50] My dad provides an unexpected answer about assimilating to the culture at the time. This was the first time I realized this is what kept my folks (and also me) from socializing.
* [00:32:06] My summary and concluding comments on the interview, some points of agreement and disagreement, and how all this applies to children today.

 
 
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The Best We Could: A Parenting Manual for Our KidsBy The Best We Could: A Parenting Manual for Our Kids