Children born to natives of different nations can benefit from learning more than one language. A child’s future will undoubtedly benefit from their parents’ interest in helping them become bilingual however in English-speaking nations, the necessity to speak English language occasionally takes preference over the native culture and language.
Although OP was originally from Turkey, she was living in America with her American husband and their 15-year-old son. She attempted to teach her child to speak Turkish when he was younger in an effort to make him bilingual. With just English spoken around him as he grew older, he began to lose interest in her native tongue. Since her child was more bonded to his American father, OP never had him learn it. The problem started when her parents, who were living in Turkey and couldn’t afford to travel to America before, paid them a visit for the first time following her marriage. The inability of OP’s son to speak with his grandparents caused them much pain, and they chastised both OP and her son for disregarding the value of their mother tongue. Since it was entirely her responsibility, OP forbid her mother from saying anything to her son. Read the full narrative and then leave a comment below with your thoughts on the OP’s post.
Source: Reddit
1. OP wonders if she was a-hole to tell her mother to leave his son alone.
2. OP was originally from Turkiye and married to an American husband. They were the parents of a 15-year-old son.
3. OP tried to make his son learn Turkish when he was young, but after getting older, he refused to utter anything in his mother’s language.
4. OP never pressured her son to learn Turkish since they were living in the USA and her family had never visited them before.
5. OP parents got annoyed to learn that their grandson couldn’t communicate with them when they came to visit them. Her mother scolded OP and her son for not giving value to her native language.
6. OP requested that her mother scold her but leave her son alone. OP’s mother got angry at her daughter for bossing her around.
Now that you’ve heard the story, let’s dive into what Redditors had to say. Keep reading to discover other people’s perspectives on the matter.
7. Redditor thinks that OP should talk to her mother about being unreasonable towards her son.
8. Yes, if they communicated earlier through the internet, OP’s parents would be used to her son’s inability to speak Turkish.
9. Redditor used to talk to their grandparents on the phone frequently, hence wondering about OP’s situation.
10. Indeed! It happens all the time.
11. Redditor had met almost everyone in her stay in Turkiye who could speak some manner of English. She tried to learn their language but failed.
12. Redditor couldn’t meet many natives in Ankara who understood English.
13. Redditor thinks that OP’s son is missing out on the entire culture of her mother’s place because he was born and grew in an American country.
14. Redditor hopes that OP’s son can learn Turkish easily as he understands what his grandparents are saying.
15. Yes, OP’s son had the advantage of learning a language at a young age; it will benefit him if he wants to learn it more in the future.
16. Indeed! It is worth forcing the child to learn different languages at an early age since it is much easier to learn at that age.
17. A Redditor claims OP’s parents were hurt because OP and her husband did not prioritize making their boy speak with his grandparents.
18. Certainly! If she never tried to build her parents relationship with her son, then it is impossible to make now.
19. Redditor supports OP’s son for not taking an interest in a language that was not frequently used in his surroundings.
20. According to a Redditor, mother tongue can be learnt easily because it is not taught in school but emerges organically.
Because of the language barrier, OP’s parents felt quite distant from their grandchild and wanted to talk to him in order to help him feel more connected to his heritage. They took concern with the fact that OP had never made an effort to foster a relationship with his grandparents in order to ignite his interest in studying his native tongue. OP mentioned her parents’ financial difficulties, which may have contributed to her lack of connection for fifteen years, or there may have been other factors. How do you feel about the circumstances of OP? Please share your ideas in the comments area, and check out Wholesomeness for more stories.
