An extremely important factor in developing the strong self-concept necessary to confidently assert a biracial identity is the family environment in which individuals grow up. Maria Root, who has extensively researched the experiences of mixed race people in America, believes that family dynamics and the ability of parents to openly discuss issues with their biracial children contribute to stronger self-concepts and adaptability (in Gaskins, 94). The family dynamics are very important for identity formation because "supportive families can help the child integrate the two identifications of the parents and develop a strong self-concept" (Cauce et. al, 212). Almost all of those interviewed had relatively strong family bonds and they characterized their relationships with their parents as positive and, therefore, most of them had positive identity concepts. Most explained that no one cultural background was highlighted in the home, possibly because many of the parents were second or third generation Canadians or had immigrated to Canada quite early in life. If the cultural heritage of the racial minority parent was highlighted in the home, the fact that the individual had grown up in Canada exposed them to enough cultural aspects outside of the home that none felt as if any particular racial or cultural identity had been stressed during their lifetime.

Regarding their racial identities, none of those interviewed remembered their parents distinctly talking to them about potential problems of racial discrimination outside of the home. Instead, most had simply felt implicit attitudes of tolerance and acceptance from their parents and which reverberated with them on a more personal level in everyday interaction. Jason, for example, explained that in his family environment, attitudes and perceptions were formed more "by osmosis than anything else." That is, attitudes of tolerance and respect for diverse cultures, not only within the home but also outside, were cultivated by such things as the fact that his mother had been actively involved with a multicultural group in the community in which they lived. Amber, on the other hand, said that her mom had spoken with her about the cultural dichotomies that she faced within her household so that she could better understand why things were done a certain way. In terms of external reception of her mixed race status, Amber did admit that her mother taught her to assert herself and be confident in her own identity:

I think when I was growing up, my mom would say that if people say that [stereotypical remarks], they are full of shit. Just be your own person. She really wanted me to be independent. I don't think I did internalize that stuff.

Thus, how parents react to and treat multiracial and multicultural issues and situations impacted on how their children perceived their own adaptation and acceptance into society. Ayesha also brought up some of the conflicts she had with her father while adjusting to her experiences in Canada but it appeared to be more related to her experience of immigration than with being biracial. She admitted that it also had a lot to do with value and cultural conflicts over her choice to identify as queer, something that she felt would have been impossible to have taken place if the family had remained in Pakistan.

One of the questions that arises out of family contexts within which there are multiple racial, cultural and ethnic experiences, is how individuals of mixed race integrate those heritages. In a household that consists of many identities, how do multiracial individuals negotiate such a landscape in forming their own identity? It is interesting to note that none of the individuals interviewed felt as if they had experienced any serious conflicts while integrating their multiple heritages into who they are. In fact, the process by which this occurred was assumed to be natural and unconscious. When living in a particular environment, the behaviours and ideals that may seem unfamiliar to outsiders are simply natural and familiar to those who have only known that context. Ayesha most succinctly answered the question of how she had integrated her multiple heritages when she simply replied, "Well, I am." Daylan also asserted that, "it's just who I am." Jason also expressed similar feelings when he answered,

I think it is automatic. It's really hard to do something like that consciously when you are a kid and you're just sort of developing as a person … Everybody is a composite of some sorts of different backgrounds. I'm more proud of it or glad than anything that I have backgrounds that are a little bit varied.

Ethnic and racial identity within a family environment that accepts and celebrates differences appears to ensure that multiple identities meld seamlessly into a singular whole, which is not necessarily synonymous with a single racial or cultural identity. Although she experienced some cultural conflicts after moving to Canada in her early adolescence, Ayesha explained that the mixed space apparent at home naturally allowed her to identify herself as mixed:

Because my family was a mixed space - my mom would talk to me in French, my dad would talk to me in English, my grandma would talk to me in Urdu - that has always felt like a comfortable space, that mixed space.

The family context, then, not only helps biracial people develop strong self-concepts for interaction outside of the home but, rather than creating racial divisions and identity conflicts within the mixed race individual, it can also make space for the existence of multiple heritages within individual identity.