This is how Mama learned American culture

My boys were born in Japan. We moved to the U.S. in 1996, when EL was four and RL was two years old. As soon as we moved, I started searching through suggested readings for kids their age from the library by asking their preschool teachers, and by just browsing bookstore shelves. Since then, we have been reading lots of good books. And we watched kids' TV shows such as "Sesame Street" and "Barney" everyday together.


There are a lot of things that are "common knowledge" for most people who grew up in the U.S., or something they must have learned in schools. And those things(Kids stuff) are used in the movies, TV shows, news headlines, jokes and such. For example, quotes from "Mother Goose" used in a paper, or making joke songs out of famous nursery rhymes sung on TV show, something like that. I didn't understand why it was funny or what implication it had. I had to ask someone. But even after the explanation, I still didn't get them because I didn't know the originals either.


Many years have passed since I first came to this country, I have read and sung "Mother Goose", read lots of famous picture books and chapter books that school age children tend to read.


I find I feel less left out these days. I find myself laughing with Americans spontaneously sometimes (even with Jay Leno jokes...:-) ). I am very lucky to have my boys! They grew up enjoying reading and singing with TV shows, and so did I!. We have been absorbing American kid's culture together.


But they have learned things so quickly, five times faster than I did (maybe ten! maybe fifty!!). I still have someone to explain when I don't get the meaning. But now the boys help me by explaining me "American Culture" and more. Teenagers know a lot! A lot more than their Mama thinks!!