My brother is competitive. He likes to be the best and he is not good at losing. He would never play me at Trivial Pursuit because I normally beat him. Brother preferred Scrabble, he stood a much better chance of winning that. I call it a cheap victory to beat a dyslexic at Scrabble but never mind.
We both have daughters who are roughly the same age. My niece is 3 weeks younger than my daughter. It was important to my brother right from the start that his daughter should be the better one. Somehow I was not bothered (or so I tell myself). I was not going to compete. Of course brother was not impressed when my child could sit, crawl and walk before his. In the great big scheme both girls are pretty well matched in their development.
It rankles with my brother that my daughters speak two languages. He has decided to rectify this. He is teaching my niece Dutch. My darling niece pointed out to her father that she is English and sees no need to learn the odd language he speaks to Oma. Niece has now upset both her parents as her mother is Scottish (and proud to be so). Neither parent is pleased that their daughter sees herself as English.
We both have daughters who are roughly the same age. My niece is 3 weeks younger than my daughter. It was important to my brother right from the start that his daughter should be the better one. Somehow I was not bothered (or so I tell myself). I was not going to compete. Of course brother was not impressed when my child could sit, crawl and walk before his. In the great big scheme both girls are pretty well matched in their development.
It rankles with my brother that my daughters speak two languages. He has decided to rectify this. He is teaching my niece Dutch. My darling niece pointed out to her father that she is English and sees no need to learn the odd language he speaks to Oma. Niece has now upset both her parents as her mother is Scottish (and proud to be so). Neither parent is pleased that their daughter sees herself as English.
4 comments:
I can totally imagine that! My cousins are of French-Canadian/Dutch decent and my youngest cousin recently said he feels 'English'. He does not have a drop of 'English' blood! Something in the schools must be wrong. Do they do brainwashing in English schools? Our only hope is that he really wants to study what he said he wants: Dutch and Archeology at Oxford.
Let's just hope..
Wow, she already feels that way? How old is she? Is it something in the tea or the sausages maybe?
@Hette: Not sure about indoctriantion in British schools. I am sure that happened more at school in Germany - lets just say I still know all the words to the German anthem but really struggle with "God save the Queen".
@Nic: She is 4 in October. I think my niece is very good at knowing how to wind her mother up, an instinct shall we say.
:-)
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