sad isn't it

blodhi74

Diamond Member
Mar 28, 2003
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I was puttimg my 7 year old to bed today and he asks me " daddy ...do Americans like McDonalds more than i do? " .... I am a 3rd generation pakistani and both me and my wife were born and raised in US and are very patriotic and call US our home land .... upon futher questioning from my son and he revealed the some kids in the neighborhood told him that since he is not white/black he is not American. I took me a while rationalizing the concept to him.He has not quite figured it out yet.Any ideas to what else to tell him ??
 

Heisenberg

Lifer
Dec 21, 2001
10,621
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Kids are just mean to each other as a rule. They'll find whatever they can to make fun of someone with. Just tell him not to listen to them and that since he was born here, he's an American just like someone who's white or black.
 

blodhi74

Diamond Member
Mar 28, 2003
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Originally posted by: bradruth
How did you try to explain it?

kinnda like ...we are in a melting pot and this country is our home land .... dont remember what words I used 'cause I was taken aback with the question
 

bradruth

Lifer
Aug 9, 2002
13,479
2
81
Yeah, the melting pot metaphor would probably be lost on him. Just tell him that he's an American. If you think he'll understand you can try to explain that white people come from Europe, black people come from Africa, asians come from Asia, just as your descendents come from Pakistan.
 

blodhi74

Diamond Member
Mar 28, 2003
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Originally posted by: Heisenberg
Kids are just mean to each other as a rule. They'll find whatever they can to make fun of someone with. Just tell him not to listen to them and that since he was born here, he's an American just like someone who's white or black.

growing up for me was not that much of a challange but with what is going on in the world its not the same for my little one
 

Gurck

Banned
Mar 16, 2004
12,963
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Originally posted by: Heisenberg
Kids are just mean to each other as a rule. They'll find whatever they can to make fun of someone with.

I wouldn't say that, I'd say it's the horrible parenting becoming commonplace in the US. I certainly never was like that as a kid.
 

fredtam

Diamond Member
Jun 6, 2003
5,694
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Originally posted by: Gurck
Originally posted by: Heisenberg
Kids are just mean to each other as a rule. They'll find whatever they can to make fun of someone with.

I wouldn't say that, I'd say it's the horrible parenting becoming commonplace in the US. I certainly never was like that as a kid.

Where did you grow up. Kids will make fun of anything.
 

blodhi74

Diamond Member
Mar 28, 2003
4,566
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Originally posted by: fredtam
so do you like Mcdonalds?


no matter how developed my taste buds are ...I still get a craving for big Mac once a week ..... must be the secret sauce :)
 

Gurck

Banned
Mar 16, 2004
12,963
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Originally posted by: fredtam
Originally posted by: Gurck
Originally posted by: Heisenberg
Kids are just mean to each other as a rule. They'll find whatever they can to make fun of someone with.

I wouldn't say that, I'd say it's the horrible parenting becoming commonplace in the US. I certainly never was like that as a kid.

Where did you grow up. Kids will make fun of anything.

NY. Many certainly will. I didn't.
 

blodhi74

Diamond Member
Mar 28, 2003
4,566
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its amazing that over the years I have delt with ignorence and racisim and have simply dismissed it as " oh well " and have not let it effect my life ... but when it happens to your kid its some thing else
 

Squisher

Lifer
Aug 17, 2000
21,204
66
91
Originally posted by: blodhi74
man ... parenting is hard work :)

No instructions either.

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Tell him that those kids' parents also came from somewhere else just that they came here sooner and that doesn't make them any more of an American.
 

UglyCasanova

Lifer
Mar 25, 2001
19,275
1,361
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Originally posted by: fredtam
Originally posted by: Gurck
Originally posted by: Heisenberg
Kids are just mean to each other as a rule. They'll find whatever they can to make fun of someone with.

I wouldn't say that, I'd say it's the horrible parenting becoming commonplace in the US. I certainly never was like that as a kid.

Where did you grow up. Kids will make fun of anything.

I remember middle school was the worst. Everyone got along with everyone else in elementary, but in middle school everyone tried to be cooler than everyone else (I guess because puberty was kicking in). Kids would be absolutely vicious in the things they said/did, I know I was. We lived in a fairly well-to-do neighborhood and it wasn't parenting, just puberty. I think everyone started to grow out of it in HS, and definitely by the time we graduated, but we were some mean sob's back in the day.
 

blodhi74

Diamond Member
Mar 28, 2003
4,566
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Originally posted by: Squisher
Originally posted by: blodhi74
man ... parenting is hard work :)

No instructions either.

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Tell him that those kids' parents also came from somewhere else just that they came here sooner and that doesn't make them any more of an American.

how true :)