(Bear with me. My comments are long-winded.)

Thanks for introducing me to these writers. My daughter wants to become a writer and reads the writings of various authors. I will tell her about these.

Also, thanks for being so candid about your ethnic experience.

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I worked with a guy who was a Mexican-American; he and his wife. Their daughter told me that when she was growing up, they only spoke in English. Now she's adult and she looks “typically Hispanic”. People walk up to her and start speaking in Spanish. When she says she does not speak Spanish, they get mad at her. Is it her fault? Her parents only spoke in English and didn't allow her to speak Spanish.

I won't tell other parents how to raise their kids. But I might offer a suggestion.

My daughter married a Mexican and they had a baby. I told both parents, my daughter and her husband, to make sure they taught the baby both languages: English and Spanish. They followed my advice.

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When I was a kid, I once watched a movie about the US military. It was wartime and they had captured some soldiers who did not speak English. The commanding office did not know how to communiate because he didn't speak their language. One of the lower-ranking American soldiers stepped up and started speaking to the prisoners in their language.

The commanding officer was impressed. He asked the soldier how he knew the language. He said: “Sir. In the neighborhood I grew up in, you have to know how to speak 4 or 5 languages if you want to do business.” The soldier had grown in a New York neighborhood,

FACT: No matter your ethnicity, in the real world, the more languages you can speak, the more doors you can open for yourself.

Although, I fully understand your parents. At that time, they did what they thought was best to help you survive in the real world. You are blessed to have had parents who wanted to put a safety net around you. Not everybody has good parents.

Great article!