4 May 2023 | 6 min Read
Sudeshna Chakravarti
Author | 799 Articles
When Priyanka Chopra and Nick Jonas announced their marriage in 2018, fans were convinced that love has no boundaries and a mere geographical or cultural difference meant nothing to them. What’s commendable about the couple’s relationship is that they openly embraced each other’s heritage and are often seen enjoying their diverse family traditions together.
Now that Priyanka and Nick have embraced parenthood, they continue to pass on their family values to their daughter Maltie Marie and have set the perfect example of raising multicultural kids. Read on to know more about multicultural parenting, and how the new parents are ensuring that their daughter experiences the best of both worlds.
Multicultural parenting refers to the parenting approach that is informed by the cultural beliefs, values, and practices of more than one culture. This parenting style embraces the diversity of cultural backgrounds within a family and aims to foster a sense of cultural pride and identity in children.
It can involve incorporating multiple cultural elements into your daily life, such as including diverse languages, food, and music, and teaching children the unique beliefs and traditions of each culture.
The goal of multicultural parenting is to create an inclusive and supportive environment where kids embrace multiple cultural identities and develop a positive sense of self.
Multicultural parenting is considered quite different from the other parenting styles as it brings new questions to the equation of parenthood. If you are a multicultural parent, you may often find yourself questioning the following things.
And most importantly, multicultural parents have to prepare answers to their kids’ inevitable questions like, “What am I,” or “Where do I belong?”
In brief, multicultural parenting helps children build their cultural identities, and one of the key ways to do that is by ensuring that kids stay connected to their cultural roots, and at the same time respect the cultural context they are growing in.
The easiest way to get your kids to engage with their culture is by exposing them to their diverse family traditions from a young age. Celebrating festivals together, speaking different languages at home, and eating foods from different cuisines are all excellent entry points.
For instance, Priyanka and Nick ensure that their daughter Malti Marie is exposed to the celebrations of both her families by encouraging celebrations together. Whether it’s Diwali or Easter, the couple often host festivals at their house, where relatives from both families gather, and interact with their little one.
Priyanka and Nick both ensure that they are following their traditional values to the T and do everything appropriately, from dressing in ethnic attire to curating meals that align with the celebration. Their exposure to these diverse celebrations will surely help Malti recognise her varied roots and encourage her to respect them from a young age.
Kids learn the best through experience. By bringing cultural learning to life and making use of their senses, you can create diversity awareness in your little one’s life and support them in exploring new things.
In their recent visit to India, Priyanka took Malti Marie to visit the famous Siddhivinayak temple in Mumbai. Visiting crucial heritage sites can also expose multicultural kids to their traditions and help them learn about their different cultural values through first-hand experience.
In the early developmental stages, your child will learn a lot from your actions. So take this as a golden opportunity to introduce them to their different cultural roots and instill values in them. It can be something as simple as celebrating family traditions together or having a meal that is inspired by your culture.
Keep in mind that your kids will not learn this overnight, and you are in this for the long haul. So be kind to yourself, and work towards being a role model for your little one to teach them their diversity.
Whenever you can, speak different languages in the house, and choose movies, books, or other forms of media to expose your child to their different cultural roots.
Despite their cultural differences, Priyanka and Nick are navigating parenthood like a pro, and setting a great example of raising multicultural kids who are aware of their diverse cultural values. Celebrating both cultures together is one of the key ways of exposing your child to the diverse heritage roots, and can help them learn about both cultures equally.
Ranbir Kapoor and Raha are inseparable: Ranbir Kapoor and Raha share a sweet father-daughter moment. Check out ways to strengthen your bond with your little one.
Ileana D’Cruz announces her pregnancy: How does your body change in the first trimester of pregnancy? Tap this post to know.
Sonam Kapoor Ahuja on postpartum fitness: Here’s why Sonam Kapoor is not pushing herself to get back into fitness postpartum.
Cover Image Credit: Priyanka Chopra / Instagram
A
Suggestions offered by doctors on BabyChakra are of advisory nature i.e., for educational and informational purposes only. Content posted on, created for, or compiled by BabyChakra is not intended or designed to replace your doctor's independent judgment about any symptom, condition, or the appropriateness or risks of a procedure or treatment for a given person.