African Childhood Vs African American Childhood

There was an interesting discussion in my Freshman Composition class about family related topics—extended families, single-parent families, relationship of parents with their children and so on. As an international student, I compared and contrasted the opinions of the African Americans in my class with my personal opinion. First, I realized that the American system is a very free system where the children can blatantly choose to do what they please irrespective of their parent’s opinions. This assertion might not be true for every African American family, but it is definitely evident in a considerable amount of families. American kids can choose to stand their ground and argue with their parents. However, it is very different in Nigeria, where I come from. When an elder speaks, the younger person must not say a word, talk less of argue. Respect is a very important virtue in the African system. Children are bound to obey their parents. And if they disobey, they are scolded accordingly. Also, I noticed that most African American kids are exposed to hard drugs at very early ages. In Nigeria, to my knowledge, drug-addicts are mostly adults. On the other hand, I realized a common trend as I compared the African and African-American families. Most children are more comfortable around their mothers than their fathers. It is only pragmatic to suggest that mothers are the most caring among the parents, even though there might be some exceptions. It was a very enlightening class discussion, as I learned a lot of other important facts about African Americans.