Growing up, I struggled to be “good enough” for my parents. Many of my Asian American peers can probably resonate with this. At this point in my life, I’m able to acknowledge and accept that my parents were doing the best they could and that they were teaching me survival skills for life in racialized America–being the very best could, to a degree, keep me safe from being put in positions with less financial stability like what they had to deal with.
However, one thing I’m still reclaiming is the right to celebrate and to express joy in significant accomplishments.
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