Tiger's father (my ex-husband) is Israeli and as I have mentioned before, I am from Haiti. Since both of my kids comes from diverse racial and cultural backgrounds, I've tried over the years to incorporate aspects from both nationalities so that my children have a greater appreciation of their family lineage. Furthermore, because of globalization, I feel that it's good for children to be raised with a broader world view. It truly is an immense privilege to live in a country, like America, that is a flavorful melting pot of traditions and heritage. Furthermore, living in South Florida, a sort of ethnic mecca, has enabled me to raise my children with a global perspective.

Although, the Hubster is an all American meat and potatoes kind of guy, he supports my efforts to integrate diversity into our family. He has traveled abroad extensively, throughout his military career. Consequently, he may possess an even greater understanding of the necessity to raise Tiger and Tar to appreciate diversity.

The wonderful thing about my mini-me, Tiger, is that he has an enthusiasm and excitement about learning about other ways of life. He loves studying about different countries and is constantly sharing tidbits of what he's learned. He lights up when Disney's Pass the Plate comes on because it features foods from other countries and he's always eager to try to make them.

Tiger's father speaks both Arabic and Hebrew. Recently, he signed up Tiger to take Hebrew lessons. At first I thought the idea was a little inconvenient because Hebrew isn't as widely spoken as Arabic. Interestingly enough, last year the Hubster had mentioned that I should encourage Tiger's father to teach Tiger Arabic because there is such a great need for bilingual Arabic/English speakers in this country.

As a result, when Tiger's father told me he had signed him up for a language class I immediately assumed it would be Arabic. But no, his decision was for Hebrew. A couple of months ago, Tiger came home from school and thrust an Alef Bet chart into my hand and started reciting the characters. To say the least, I was impressed. He's taken a real interest in learning the language and I'm thrilled to see it.This experience of learning the language has also spawned his curiosity in the Israel and his family over there. Tiger's father shared with me that his brother recently traveled back to Israel and that Tiger was anxious write letters so he could show off his new found Hebrew talents. I. love. it. This is exactly why I feel so strongly to encourage my children to learn about their diverse background. It helps them feel closer and bonded with their heritage. Furthermore, I feel it helps them develop a stronger identity.