Being bilingual!

I grew up in a far off land....ok it was England but judging by the price of airline tickets these days it's a very very very far off land!

My kids have grown up bilingual with English and American and most of the time don't even bat an eyelid when something terribly English comes out of my mouth. I grew up in Yorkshire, well know for it's delightful dialect (think Daisy and Mrs Patmore from Downton Abbey). When I married my Ex my Mum gave him a Yorkshire phrase book to help, it most definitely came in handy!

There are days however when I realize my kids aren't quite as bilingual as I think they are...like today!

It all began with a game of rhyming dominoes that Santa brought us for Christmas, poor Finn was confused from the start, since when do straight candy cane and rooster rhyme ???? When you're in England of course!

And when your teens overhear the conversation unaware of what you're doing it just adds to the fun...

Finn: I can't go

Me: Yes you can, match the colors and you'll find something that rhymes with cock

Cal: Ummmmmm....what are you playing ?

Finn: I found one but it's a candy cane, candy cane and cock don't rhyme

Cal: Are you sure that's an appropriate game for Finn?

Me: In England this isn't called a candy cane, it's a stick of rock and rock rhymes with cock

Cal: SERIOUSLY!!!! Will everyone stop saying that word...

You pay bail to get someone out of jail, which would work in American rhyming dominoes, but our bail is the little wooden piece on top of the cricket stumps...knock that guy off and you're out!

Serious concentration....(funnily enough the English name for a matching game)

Frustration....(also a game...known as Trouble in the US!)

I will say that strap threw me off...I mean that's clearly a belt but evidently this game was originally created for badly behaved children who recognized it as a strap they were beaten with....

I love that the bat is a cricket bat too, maybe Santa can bring us a cricket set this year and we can confuse Finn even more...

All in all I think the English 101 lesson went "reet gud with our Finn", I am however thankful that he no longer goes to preschool on a farm like he did in VA or the phrase "look look I see a big cock" could have landed us in some hot water!