OKAY< I haven't been here for quite some time. If anyone is still checking in, I will try to be more consistent with some postings. It has been a struggle these past few weeks because, well, just because. We, my beloved partner and I, have taken on the task of being surrogate parents to a group of nine Native American adolescents. They are really sweet girls, for the most part. BUT--- living with 14 year old girls is challenging at best. When you add some of the issues that most Native American kids have, the messed up influence of American consumerist mentality, the pressure of doing well in a fairly alien high school environment, we have issues. But I am doing much better. The girls? Its a mixed bag as they used to say. Some are becoming quite successful at functioning in mainstream America. And isn't that all we ever wanted for our primitive, brown skinned brethren? Seriously, it is a painful thing to think that the only way for these kids to thrive is to accept the really screwed up values that have made our society the mess it is today.
My ambivalent attitude is what has given me trouble in my mind and in writing.
Articulating the struggle may be of value to me and of interest to you. I'll be back with more soon.
3 comments:
Wow. That's quite a lot on your plate. It must be so hard to feel like these girls need to lose a part of who they are to fit in. They are so lucky to have you there to help them navigate so they can retain a healthy sense of who they are.
Why thank you ma'am! I should say that I feel we all have to give up a big part of who are or could be in order to fit into mainstream American life. Of course it is more obvious in Indian country because the contrast between traditional Native American values and our capitalist culture are so glaring. But thanks again for your kind thoughts.
Good to read your posts again, I am sure there were many out here that were getting concerned.
My first though was like Allie, how lucky the girls were to have the two of you to guide them in the values that really matter rather than the values that advertising often convinces them that matters.
I wish there were more like the two of you, the world would be a far, far better place if there were...
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