Becoming a Citizen
This was a big week for me. On Tuesday, I passed my citizenship test and that same day, thanks to a change in policy due to COVID-19, was sworn in as an American citizen. I have looked forward to this moment since my move to Charlotte, North Carolina in 2010. But even before then, I was a ten year old kid travelling to basketball tournaments for my own team or my dad’s or brother’s, in Florida, Maine, Maryland, Michigan, New Hampshire, New York, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia, and I was always very comfortable in the USA. It was this familiarity that helped me decide to go to university in Maryland. This is a good lesson for parents to remember. Exposure leads to awareness. Awareness leads to understanding. Understanding leads to confidence.
I guess this is true of my parenting journey too, not just my choice in countries. I was not exposed at all to newborns or kids, aside from a few I saw infrequently with friends. My exposure was simply to become a mom, and I figured it out along the way with the help of the Internet and a few good books. Once I understood what was needed and how to do it, comfort ensued. I was no longer a fish out of water.
Canada is a wonderful place with wonderful people. It will always have a piece of me. This latest chapter in the USA, though, has been the most fantastic adventure. I love the different accents. I love the opinions and the soul and the convictions and the willingness to engage. There definitely seems to be more extreme viewpoints than those I saw in Canada. But I like that challenge. To understand how those positions are formed, to determine where you fundamentally agree or disagree, and then, if needed, to attempt influence and change. The nation is experiencing a reckoning right now. And while violence is not the answer, the passion is inspiring, and justified after years of oppression. When I was sworn in this week, I received the freedom and responsibility to vote, and to freely and fully participate in this society. I still need to decide each day how I will use this power. I’m very happy I’ll no longer have the whisper of thought that I could be deported and separated from my daughter and husband at the whim of government. This makes me sympathetic to the Black Lives Matter movement. At what point will black residents be “sworn in” and truly free to fully participate in society? At what point will they no longer have a whisper of thought that they could be arrested or shot at the whim of a racist?
When I was a child, I had a poster in my room of a white cat and a black bunny. It said “I like you, you’re different.” I hope the next generation have posters like that. I hope they discover what a rich tapestry life can be when we are embracing each other instead of fearing or persecuting each other. For now, we have to keep the exposure and awareness going. It will lead to understanding. It will lead to vitality.
This was hanging on the wall of the Immigration office. Yes. Let's be this. Let's strive for this.
Okay, enough grandstanding about a noble, monumental cause. The next day was all about self-serving capitalism. On Wednesday, my first full day as an American citizen, I truly became a business owner. I have worked hard for months and gone back and forth with fabric choices and designs, and in the mail were the fruits of this labor. The first Riggbee parenting products arrived from my product development partner and designer. They were beautiful, new satchels and bracelets, nestled into their tissue paper wrapping, beckoning to be used by new parents. A selection of them are now off to the testing agency, to make sure they are safe, and then, they will be offered up. I can’t wait to share them. Once again, exposure led to awareness and to creating something better. I saw a need as a parent, understood how I could make it better, and then did something to make it better. I hope others will agree. Almost at the finish line, which is actually the starting line for this little company. Thanks for being here with me!
Can you tell I'm excited? The countdown to launch begins! Stay tuned!