Cultural Capital - what do you do in your household?

[californiagurl]

We have a huge range of books, frequent theatre visits (although these have been online in recent times), visits to art galleries/exhibitions, support with learning languages.

What's anyone else up to?

Does Netflix count?

I read War and Peace before breakfast, speak to the children in Mandarin Chinese on Wednesdays and confiscate their phones if they don't write a sonnet or a symphony every week. I worry that I'm not doing enough as I've noticed that they are never invited on playdates.

I suspect that consciously trying to build cultural capital would lead to bored children (and adults).

Far better to just do and talk about what you enjoy, and share that enthusiasm with the small people around you.

@katy1213 That's very snarky indeed. I don't see there is anything wrong with anything I've mentioned we do? We value these things and believe they are interests that take you through to adulthood.

What is the point of your thread OP?

My husband and I converse only in Latin on alternate Tuesdays when there's an 'R' in the month.

We're also hosting a small art exhibition behind the freezer tomorrow. It will be live-streamed to comply with current restrictions.

We just do what we enjoy. I don't call it 'cultural capital' or such. As it turns out, we enjoy reading, music of all genres, some museums if we're particularly interested in their theme and spending huge amounts of time outdoors.

We're a dual language home anyway so language learning is embedded into everyday living.

I read books the dc hate reading books.
I go to the theatre in normal times a couple of times a year, usually without dc.
We sometimes go to a museum, not this year however.

I’m from a multicultural background so is my husband and we speak multiple languages at home so that’s my part done 😂

If that's what you like to do then that's fine
I wouldn't call it "cultural capital" I would say it is having interests or doing things you enjoy

I have generally found that being asked/made to do something for "your own good" often isnt very enjoyable

My baby is due in December and is already fluent in mandarin and Esperanto thanks to language tapes played through a Bluetooth speaker pressed against my bump. Feel so sorry for the babies of parents who leave the acquisition of cultural capital until after the baby is born. By then it’s too late to have any real impact, and the baby is destined to spend its life catching up with peers who’s parents actually care about their children.

I wish I had the energy to do any of that.
I take the kids to the farm if we are having a good day.

That's very snarky indeed. It’s not snarky. It’s quite funny.

I don't see there is anything wrong with anything I've mentioned we do? We value these things and believe they are interests that take you through to adulthood. There is absolutely nothing wrong with enjoying books, theatre and museums/art galleries. They’re wonderful things. You’re being mocked because you’re referring to your enjoyment of these things as cultural capital, which is really pretentious, and because you sound like a massive show off.

It's interesting to see someone be so plain about the intended outcome of these leisure pursuits. How are you currently capitalising on this culture?

Hold on, it's too complicated for me.... does it mean....um.....writing YOGHURT instead of yoghurt?

(Seriously, share your enthusiasm for what you genuinely love - not what you think you "should" love - with your children, and be open to following their interests too. That's it really.)

How old are your dc, op?

My house is full of drama.

In our household we set 'achievement targets' weekly and aim to learn a new foreign language in this time. With that under our belt we seek out opportunities to immerse ourselves in the culture of each language by reading, writing and conversing exclusively about the key figures who have shaped that countries growth. In the relevant language of course.

It can be a struggle to find the time but the children find it hugely rewarding.

Malbec for me.
Fortnite for the kids.

@HoldMyLobster

My house is full of drama.

@HoldMyLobster

My house is full of drama.

Wins the thread

My DC had a childhood filled with visits to museums and the arts. It made the weekends interesting but I didn't do it for their cultural capital, I was just good at finding random free places to go. They are teenagers now and no different to their friends who spent each Saturday at Grandmas or whatever.

@seayork2020

Does Netflix count?

Yes. Because cultural capital is all about fitting in to various social situations.

When I was in primary school my parents started letting me watch neighbours because all the other kids did and I couldn’t join in conversations about it. Not knowing about Scott and charlene’s wedding was a serious lack of cultural capital in that context.

Heritage sites, classical african drumming, reading in French and Swahili and novels containing rich vocabulary.

My four year old asked me if I was willing to give classical music a go because he likes it.

Does that count?