Parenting Class

We went to a "parenting" class this weekend but it wasn't your typical how to change a diaper or swaddle or whatever most parents learn to do in their hospital parenting classes. Instead, this was on the 30th floor of a high-rise in downtown LA, in the conference room of a fancy-shamancy law firm. We were one of 3 couples meeting over fresh bagels and coffee to discuss raising adopted children of interracial families. Most interestingly was the make-up of the group: we were coincidentally all adopting from Korea, Tim and I were the only white couple, another was half white (Australian) half Korean (she moved to the US when she was 11) and the third couple was Korean-American.
Mostly we talked about the delicate balance of attempting to provide information about Korean culture without, at least in the case of Tim and me, feeling like a bit of a fraud, since it's not as though we'd typically dress in hanbok. We want to provide a gateway while realizing we're very much learning ourselves. I was a bit relived to find the Korean-American couple didn't do all the "traditonal" Korean fare for their first son like the big first birthday celebration. "http://www.lifeinkorea.com/culture/tol/tol.cfm"Granted, every family finds their own way but seeing as this couple is surrounded by grandparents who I would expect would insist upon Korean tradition and yet don't it made the pressure to figure out what I do an don't need to blend into our American cutlture seem a little less intimidating. I certainly want to intruduce Korean culture to our child but it seems more for the adults than the baby to do it at such a young age. I have this feeling no mattter what we do, a family vacation to Korean, Korean BBQ nights and weekends with our adoptive family network I hope I can just do a good job of helping my child figure out who they are, not as a Korean, or as an American but just as themselves. However, having said that, it may be easy, living in a white society and being white, to not realize how much race and culture do play a factor. So that's where my job, our job, as parents come in.