September 10, 2005
Little European boys
My mother-in-law's greatest fear is that our boys will be too European to ever fit in once we get back to the US. I don't think that's really an issue - kids are adaptable and if they are not quite like other US kids, well, then I'm sure it's for the better, not for the worse. (At least, I'm keeping that hope up.)
However, this morning, my dear husband was compelled to comment: "They are such little European boys."
Why, you ask?
We usually have a breakfast that looks something like this - homemade granola, cereal, yoghurt, milk, fruit. I guess the yoghurt makes it a bit more European but granola, milk and fruit should be not too subversive, right?
Weekends are different, though. Around 8 this morning, Alan started demanding food. Not any kind of food. No, it had to be a "long bread". (This is a baguette, for all those who don't understand Alan-speak.) So he went to rouse his Dad, who is the bakery person in this household, and together they went and got long bread. Two long breads, actually - one for Alan and one for the rest of the family. Alan doesn't like to share his long bread. And, of course, chocolate croissants. So he and his Dad walked back home, with Alan carrying two baguettes under his arm and swinging a bag with croissants.
I guess you could call that European.
Posted by claudia at September 10, 2005 09:51 AM
I wouldn't worry. I moved to Canada just before my 8th birthday, from the UK. I think of myself very much as "Canadian", just with an English (ie from England, not referring specfically to language here) slant. I had no more problem fitting in as did any other child who had moved from another school zone, at least not after the first few months. It does take time to learn the local slang, kids games, etc. but kids pick up these things quickly and generally cope fairly well. Does depend on the child.
Posted by: Christine at September 10, 2005 04:29 PMI wouldn't worry.
Me neither. My dad had a job much like Doug's. My first memories were the boat going to Britain and the West End of London.
My mum tells me I came back to Australia with a posh accent but it was soon knocked out of me. Today I am quintessentially Antipodean; apart from a slight tendency to use words like 'quintessentially' and 'Antipodean'.
Posted by: Syd Webb at September 11, 2005 04:43 PMNo worries at all, Claudia, that your sons will be too European to ever fit in Yanqistan. My father was the son of an American soldier and German warbride. He didn't speak /any/ english until he was 6. He said he didn't have his first formal english class until he was 12 (but I have a hard time beliving that knowing how schools for children of military personnel work). By the time he was 18 he fit in as well as anyone would or could: he was even on an American football team in HS.
He has some different perspectives than your average Yanqi, but I never realized it until I was out of home for a while. They weren't so glaring as that I noticed compared to other dads...
as I said, no worries.
Will
Posted by: Will Baird at September 12, 2005 06:53 PMHm, I'm not worried. I think it's great that the boys get exposed to more than one culture. It's my mother-in-law who worries, unnecessarily, I believe.
Posted by: claudia at September 18, 2005 11:48 AM