First Generation Adult-Children of Immigrants
Being first-generation comes with its own set of unique experiences
There is an entire generation of adult-children raised by immigrant parents, who have experienced life navigating the tension between connectedness within family and being authentic to our true-selves. I know this personally through my own lived experience as a first-generation child of immigrants. Often times, parents or caregivers come to the States to provide more opportunity for their children and for themselves, while also hoping that America can offer a place where they can freely engage in their culture or their religious beliefs.
Personally, I experienced this within my Eastern European immigrant family, who raised my sister and I within the Jewish faith. There were, and still are, so many parts of my culture that provided me with connection, comfort, and a sense of identity, that I continue to cherish and find immense gratitude for deeply. And I also had times where I felt that care was conditional on how much I fit into these pre-determined, fixed parameters.
I understand that my experience may be different than yours, and so I offer it not as a direct parallel but in an effort to connect to how painful it can be to integrate feelings of familial and cultural belonging, with a sense of individualism that keeps us true to our own unique selves.
How do we remain in relationship with family when these feelings of longing for authenticity come up? How do we find courage to continue developing ourselves in alignment with our individual morals and values, that may differ from that of our families? How do we find simultaneously unconditional acceptance for ourselves when that is something we may have struggled feeling our whole lives?
These are some entry questions we can explore within working together, based on your own personal experience as a first-generation adult-child. And hey, you might not be first-generation, but you may still have felt this conflict between external expectations and your own authentic sense of self. You are welcome here too, to work in a way that feels personally relevant to your life experiences.
