Born And Raised Podcast: Parenthood Is An Identity Shift For Children Of Immigrants

Listen to ‘Born And Raised’ on Apple Podcasts  and Google Podcasts .

The miracle of childbirth can change a lot for new parents: their life plans, priorities, and how they see themselves. For second-generation Canadians who are starting families, questioning identity and culture can take on a whole new meaning; the answers impact your little ones too. 

When you’re a child of immigrants, parenthood can change your role in the family — and even how your family sees you.

In this episode of “Born And Raised: Love ,” hosts Alisha Sawhney and Al Donato hear from a parent on the podcast’s team, a mom gives us an earful on bonding, the team digs deep into a forgotten Polish lullaby, and a baby heals family rifts.

Read a transcript of this episode.

Can’t play it on this page? Listen on the SoundCloud site.

Meet the guests:  

Since she was a little girl, Nigerian-Chinese artist Gloria Okoye has loved getting her ears cleaned. The tradition is an act of intimacy in East Asian countries, giving Gloria priceless bonding time with her mother and grandmother. As a mother herself, she’s passing it down to her children, too.

When Briga’s father immigrated from Poland, he cut himself and his family off from all parts of their culture—except for music. Now an award-winning musician, Briga can trace her career’s success to his bedtime lullabies. But there’s one in particular that’s shrouded in mystery. Can the podcast team solve it?  

Jasbina Justice felt like an outsider to their roots and their South Asian and Guyanese family. That changed with the birth of their daughter; just by being herself, little Mayari has helped heal rifts between Jasbina and their loved ones.

Bonus

Our editor Nicholas Mizera hopes to sing the cuckoo lullaby to his little one, so Nora grows up with Polish.

If you and your family want to sing along too, the lyrics for Kukueczka can be found here (along with an English translation.)