Hybridity is a term that has been synonymous to mixture. The term hybridity can also be used to develop an understanding of how cultures mix together in society and how they have an influence on one another (Bhabha, 1994). Hybrid parents understand the complexities and nuances of parenting in a multicultural world. They understand the ways in which race, ethnicity, culture, class, gender, and sexuality influence who we are and how we perceive the world.
Hybrid parents are parents who are consciously raising children in a multicultural world. Hybrid parents want their children to be critically aware of the diverse world that they live in and they want their children to develop multicultural competence. Multicultural competence is the ability to understand, effectively communicate, and interact with people from diverse cultures. With this understanding, children realize that they live in a pluralistic society in which their are multiple ways to approach a topic, issue, or problem. Through hybrid parenting, children will have a better understanding of who they are in the world.
Parents are the primary source of information when it comes to educating children about cultures. Schools are limited in what they can or can’t teach. When parents know more about diversity, they can teach more about race, ethnicity, culture, class, gender and sexuality to their children. Hybrid parenting.org (coming soon) provides parents with the knowledge and resources that they may need to develop multicultural competence in their children.
Amita Roy Shah's Blog 