My son is 10 years and in 4th grade. He was asked to a project in class about heirlooms. It is interesting because we do not have many heirlooms in our house.
He picked a blanket my mother made and I use as a comforter on my bed. He never met my mother since she passed away when I was 16 so this is the reason he chose this item. In this project he was supposed to identify the significant aspects of his heritage and culture. He was supposed to write a paragraph about his family and their traditions.
He elected to talk write about the fact that my wife’s family comes from regions of Germany, Poland and Russia and that my family came from England and Wales. That is all he would write about. We asked him if he was missing a significant part of identity, especially since we never talk about those countries. He said that he did not want to talk about it. He did not want to talk about being Jewish.
I found this interesting. It made me a little uncomfortable. I did not want to pry too much. I did not want him to feel defensive. But … what is it that makes this 10 year boy not want to talk about his families primary place of traditions? Is he embarrassed?
When you were little, were you embarrassed about being Jewish? Did you avoid discussing it on purpose? I am just curious.
