Will the younger, U.S.-born generation of Bangladeshis, brought up in the United States, be lost to mainstream society? This question is raised by concerned Bangladeshi guardians and parents, who are alarmed and disturbed by the situation.

Growing up in a different environment, one with unlimited independence, diverse social and religious values and far from their cultural traditions, Bangladeshi youth are increasingly engaged in relationships or marrying members of other ethnic groups without seeking parental approval – much to the parents' chagrin. If the parents or guardians put up obstacles to these relationships, they may lose their children forever. In many cases, the son or daughter disobeys the parents, who sacrificed their time, happiness and peace of mind to work tirelessly for their well being.

Several guardians, on condition of anonymity, commented that control over their children is guided by the law of the land, which does not care for the culture of Bangladesh or, for that matter, other Asian countries. Parents feel harassed by their children when they try to stop them from mixing freely with their boyfriends or girlfriends at a young age. There is a growing number of incidents involving parents subject to arrest when their own children call the police on them.

Many parents indicate that children should be kept under control from early childhood particularly when the child grows up in an environment that is so different from the Bangladeshi culture. Parents are also finding it difficult to impart religious education to the children, which would be useful to help guide them. In American society, young males and females relate openly with their partners in schools, colleges and universities, a conduct that is deemed highly immoral in Bangladeshi culture. Our sons and daughters are exposed to this behavior regularly. Television shows and movies are overtly sexual, and now the Internet has added to this phenomenon – anyone can watch porno films on the computer. Many Bangladeshi parents admit they don't know how their children use the computer even at home.

Some parents claim that they don't even know whether their kids are going to school regularly. Frequently, they find their sons and daughters have brought school friends over to the house, and when the parents oppose it, their children call the police. On many occasions, the kids build up relationships with classmates when they work in school together; some end up marrying their classmates. Parents are also complaining of the online relationships that their sons and daughters are forming through chat rooms.

Unable to tolerate this kind of behavior, parents are opting to send their children back home to Bangladesh. Many also take their grown up children to Bangladesh and get them married. In general, these arranged marriages are lasting, though not exempt from falling apart due to unhappy relations among the couple.

Parents complain that when their children return home from school, they spend their time alone in their rooms and don't discuss anything with them. On many occasions, the parents also avoid their children. Many parents don't speak in Bengali at home. They don't read Bengali newspapers, or watch Bengali movies or attend Bengali cultural activities. The result is that their children don't learn about the Bengali culture and become involved with local culture, thus contributing to the children's Americanization.