As we move further into the 21st Century our knowledge, and I call it “Passion” for being Italian is dwindling in our youth. Many families today have succumbed to the “American way of life.” Now Italian-American families are onto their fourth and fifth generations. Parents and grandparents are falling into what I call the “Socialization of the Secular American Culture.”

This culture is bridging a gap between our youth and those responsible for teaching them, we the adults. From our language, to our culture, and beliefs systems the family unit once enjoyed by Italians is being disintegrated.

I remember as a child growing up for the first seven years of my life in Hamburg, NY, which is on the outskirts of Buffalo, NY. Family dinners were had every night. Sundays were special because the entire family would go to Chestnut Ridge Park for picnics.

Now 25 years later many older family members have passed and younger Italians are not carrying on the family traditions. Many families have left the Italian communities of the East Coast and moved all around the nation. It is necessary because people are raising families and need to go where the work is, but at what price? We Italians in America are becoming more and more Americanized, and we are losing our culture.

I am lucky that my immediate family is still here with me in Las Vegas. We have recently been blessed with two additions to the family, and I am Godfather to one. The family does make time for each other. Visiting my sister and husband with their kids or going out for family dinners. We watch sporting events together and I mean the entire family. My mother and sister know as much about sports as anyone. We watch the Italian National soccer team play, to the Buffalo Bills NFL team and Buffalo Sabres NHL hockey team.
Yes this is what my family does, but we do it together.

As for the history of Italy and those who came to the new world looking for prosperity across the ocean the Italian traditions remained the same for decades. Now we as Italians have to get back what we lost.

I implore you to read about Italian traditions. On the internet or just go to the public library and learn about our ancestry. We are a passionate people and we need to continue that.

Parents make time for your children. Pass on the stories from the old country. Pass on the stories that your parents and grandparents told you. I remember as a child waking up at 3:00am when my father would come home from work. He would tell me stories about Italy. Both good and bad, but it made me proud. He told me about growing up as a child in Italy during World War II. He told me about my past and he instilled in me the importance to be proud of my Italian heritage.

For my part, as Editor of “La Voce,” our “Education Section” will be expanded to add a “Learning and Fun Section” for children. Here they will find puzzles, word find games, and match games. This will able us to help teach history, Italian definitions, and spread the culture that we are so proud to be part of to the next generations.