A New Magazine for New American Parents
By Alexa Llucemo
LETTER TO THE EDITOR
A Father’s Journey: Parenting and Building a Life as a New American
I came to the United States in 2002 with a determination to make a better life for myself, just kind of going with the flow of this new space far from home. Starting over is always challenging, but nothing prepared me for the unique journey of becoming a parent here while trying to build a business.
I remember the early years vividly—working long hours to establish my small landscaping company while learning to navigate a new culture. My wife and I wanted to provide our children with opportunities we never had growing up, but we also wanted them to stay connected to the traditions and values of our home country. Raising children as “new Americans” came with us trying to instill the language, stories, and customs that shaped us. Although I recognized that my kids needed to fit in, my wife reminded me that their country is America and they will grow up American in school and with their friends. But their heritage and home is in our Peruvian culture; they need to be proud of where they come from.
I would love to see this magazine explore the topic of new Americans, new Parents. There is so much to discuss: the joy of raising bicultural kids, the struggles of navigating a foreign school system and what it means to instill a proud cultural heritage in a land where we didn’t have a community abroad to stick close to. Many of us as immigrant parents struggle between this and encouraging assimilation.
How do we learn from American parenting styles while honoring our own?
I feel the answer lies within disrupting the idea of an “American” family as a white vision of customs the rest of us should try to appear as. My family is an American family because we make this country dream for us and fulfill everything we desire to be.
This is what I hope to encourage and support immigrant parents, a group that often goes unheard in mainstream conversations about family life. I hope you’ll consider sharing stories like mine and those of countless others who are building bridges between two worlds, one generation at a time.
R is…
- 44 years old
- Male
- Indigenous
- Straight
- Peruvian
- Working Class
- Catholic