The Use of Extended Families in Ethnic Child Rearing

Childcare

• If you are a working mother, finding the right childcare for your child is often an ongoing dilemma. Living with extended family or having them nearby gives you the option of being able to leave your child at home or with someone you know well and trust. In many ethnic families, including those from South Asia, Africa and the Middle East, a grandparent will often fill in as a primary childcare provider while a mother is at work. This helps the child and grandparent develop a lifelong bond and gives a working mom the support she might need to have a career, a social life and raise her children as she would like. In many extended families, an aunt or even older cousins will also help care for a child.

Nursing

• Breastfeeding is preferred for infant nourishment in most ethnic cultures, particularly those from areas where Islam is practiced. Muslim cultures favor breastfeeding and advise nursing a child up to the age of two years. However, many Muslim mothers now prefer the convenience of commercial formulas as this allows other family members to help feed the child. A paper published in the December 2007 International Journal of Biomedical Sciences notes that Muslim cultures also have a history of wet nurses, in which a relative or hired nanny breastfeeds a child. Wet nursing is no longer a common practice; however, in some ethnic families an aunt or other relative who is nursing will also occasionally feed another infant in the household.

Social and Cultural Adaptation

• Grandparents and elders are greatly respected and honored in ethnic families. They are often considered the head of the household and play key roles in teaching children and teenagers about social etiquette and cultural practices. A study of Asian families in the UK published in the June, 2000 Journal of Clinical Psychology noted that children and grandmothers show better adjustment in extended families than in nuclear families, although mothers fared worse in extended families. The research concluded that there was a link between positive mental health for both children and grandparents and living in an extended family environment.

Education

• Many ethnic families, particularly those in the West, stress the importance of education to their children from a young age. Children are expected to spend long hours studying and bring home high-achieving report cards from school. While mothers are typically the parent a child will turn to for help with homework, in many ethnic extended families, other family members will also pitch in to help. This includes aunts, uncles, grandparents and older cousins.