Time Magazine recently came out with an article about a mother breastfeeding her almost four year old son. This article has received attention from all parts of the world and many people are offended by this practice. However, there is a small minority of women who nurture their children this way. Why is society quick to be judgemental about other peoples’ practices? When was the last time we as individuals looked in the mirror and questioned our own practices?

Whether you agree or disagree with the style of parenting from this article, ask yourself what makes your own practice better and suitable for all types of families? We all come from diverse experiences and knowledge and we practice what we know which in turn makes us all unique individuals. We can only say it’s wrong because it does not follow traditional Western practices, and we can say it’s right because we all want to nurture our children.

There’s a movie called Babies that documents the upbringing of babies in different parts of the world. It demonstrates the nature of babies and moments that may only occur once, but is captured to connect with parents who have experienced the same joys of raising children. I feel this is the first step to introducing an intercultural aspect of parenting into our Western society because our community has become much more diverse and enriched with various practices. Intercultural education bridges and creates a pathway for understanding and compassion for diversity and unites us.

I think of intercultural education like making bread. We all use the same basic ingredients. Sometimes bakers will add flavouring, spices, or some bakers may just keep it plain. Either way the ingredients have to be combined by kneading and then molded into a pan, baked, and shared for all to enjoy. Some days it may be light and fluffy, some days it may not rise and be rock hard. Most importantly, no matter how it was made, the end result is always bread.

We all have the basics – now, it’s a matter of sharing our uniqueness, and learning to accept and respect our differences. We all have similar ambitions and goals to live a prosperous life. There is enough negativity and ridicule in the world. How can we, as individuals, contribute towards creating an understanding and compassionate community, society, and world?