A muslim family having dinner together? Around traditional food? Talking about literature? Damn, I didn’t know I needed that type of representation, but I am thriving.
My dad is a hardcore fan of Victor Hugo. Which is ironic because he never went to school. Well, he did. For about three years. In his twenties, he bought any book written by Hugo, Balzac or Zola. When there were some words he didn’t understand, he would just check them in the dictionary and make a list. He inspired me in so many ways. How can you complain about school when you realize all your dad learnt about, he did it by himself?
My mom’s wit is probably the reason why I admire her so much. She’s tough and soft. She’s honest and sensitive. She wanted to build a whole woman. I’m not one. I’m flawed. Probably more than she wants to admit. She taught me to love and fight. She taught me about culture and knowledge. She taught me about health and food. She taught me about nature and respect. She always found balance. Always valued what mattered the most, to understand the world and embrace it.
We need to show healthy conversations with parents. Man, we so need to normalize that. I learnt so much from mines, their experiences, their stories, their struggles and their fears. My dad carried weapons when he was 10. My mom was forced to stop school at the age of 12. My dad saw a policeman shoot an innocent man only because of his ethnicity. My mom has to face discrimination at work because she’s a hijabi and she does not look down. She talks. She challenges them.
I went to school. I got an education. I got a high school diploma, a bachelor degree, a master degree. But the greatest knowledge I got was from them. They taught me tolerance, kindness, respect. They taught me to be strong, to face racism and challenge it. They taught me to have a mind, to balance my ethnicity, my religion and everything that I was to make my own culture.
So yes, a healthy family dinner sounds so simple yet it is important. It is important to understand why family matters in such households. I’d never be thankful enough for my parents.
