This paper discusses the differences and similarities in child rearing between two different ethnicities: Indian vs. Haitian.

Parenting is an art, a science, a gift, and sometimes a headache. There never seems to be enough time to get the basics done, let alone shape a child's mind. Parents and children seek to discover adequate ways of reasoning about child rearing techniques and how to apply these ideas to everyday life. This may sound clichéd but in actuality it is how we all live our lives. The how's and why's of the way people perceive and interact with the world begins in childhood, and is taught to us by our parents. In the case of most 1st generation American raised children; parents have a fear of loosing their ethnic traditions and morals and tend to enforce them with a greater importance.

The story of my childhood begins with my birth in India to a low-middle class Brahmin family. However to gain a better understanding of my childhood and why I was raised the way I was, I suggest going back several years prior to my birth to see how the lives of my parents were.

Mother Father Brother Sister

English: Pie chart of Alberta population by mother...

Ethnic Group (click to enlarge)

My mother and my father were introduced through their respective families but were allowed to get to know each other before getting married. Not the stereotypical arranged marriage but arranged nonetheless. My family and I moved out of India to Canada when I was barely six months old. We stayed in Canada for four years until my mom became pregnant again with my sister. For her birth we all went back to India. After her birth we came back to Canada but my parents made the decision not to stay there for two reasons. One being that they knew English and even though they learned French it was difficult to mingle with society and the second reason being that they did not want...