National Son And Daughter Day: 5 Things We Can Do To Make Our Desi Families Progressive
One step at a time!
Desi households are different from Western households on so many fronts, in fact, on all fronts. Right from the way we are raised to the beliefs we are told to have from childhood, everything is so different in a desi household. Most desi sons and daughters end up being traumatised by the way we have been raised. So, the responsibility of changing things for the better and being progressive falls on our shoulders. On National Son And Daughter Day, here are 5 things we, as sons and daughters, can do to make our desi households more progressive.
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1. Teach our parents to not judge someone based on their clothes
Our parents immediately assume one’s sansaki-ness on the basis of their clothes. Desi sons and daughters need to teach their parents that one’s clothes are not directly proportional to how well-mannered they are.
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2. Teaching our parents that toxic elders should not be respected
Our parents have always taught us that every elderly person should be treated with respect. And toxic elders have always taken advantage of this, and in many cases, these so-called bade buzurg have turned out to be paedophiles and abusers. So, no more respecting elders who are sexist, misogynistic and toxic.
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3. Teaching our parents to lose their homophobia
Desi parents treat homophobia like it is a disease. They will have no problem with their younger brother having looted property from them but will scrunch their noses in disgust if they see two boys holding hands.
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4. Talk about the importance of therapy
Our parents were left traumatised by their parents and since they did not have means and access to therapy, they transferred that trauma to us. So, as sons and daughters of a modern generation, we can tell our parents how important therapy is to get better mentally.
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Also read: Barbie Is More Than A Movie, It Is A Love Letter To Female Friendships
5. Never comparing our siblings with each other
Our parents always compared us with other kids in school or our cousins. We need to break this toxic habit by never comparing our siblings with other people and encourage building a healthy relationship with them so that they feel safe to come and talk to us if they need someone.
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Making desi families progressive is a hard task because they tend to be rigid because of the values and beliefs they’re brought up in. Changing them is a one-step-at-a-time process. So, what better day than National Son and Daughter Day to start this transformation?
First Published: August 11, 2023 12:49 PM
