do you feel embarassed speaking to your child in your own language in public ?

[fredly]

I sometimes do, thinking at the same time that it's silly. When it's among people I don't know like in a shop, I don't usually care, but when I'm with friend I feel like I'm alienating them.

I don't feel embarrased when speaking to my children in english, but if flemish people (eg. dd1's teacher) hear me speaking in english they automatically switch to english as wellwhich is annoying because I really need to speak as much flemish as possible myself.

This is really interesting, and something I have often pondered on. Of course, Shitemum is right about the unique language relationship with dcs.

Im british but speak french at home and in public to my two ds'. Dp is french. so Im not embarresed but I tend to say things twice if Im with someone who doesnt understand french. I don't want to be rude and you never know when people are offended. But tbh I don't think Id give a shit enough to only speak 1 language. I want my children ti be bi lingual so that they have good skills and can talk to their family. I will incorporate any method which I feel can achieve that best. Sory, come across as quite aggressive but just come off reading a racism thread. Arrgh!

I don't feel embarrassed but I do feel self conscious and sometimes slip into speaking spanish to him when around people who don't speak english. If I am with dh's family I do feel like it all goes quiet and everyone listens in when I talk to him and then his old, half deaf great aunt ALWAYS pipes up "what'd you saaaay?" followed by "what'd she say?" to whoever'll listen. And it's never anything interesting (he's 11mo!) but I have to translate all the same.

I know I should just not care and after reading this thread I think I'll try harder to make sure I do speak english 100% of the time with him.

mmmh yes embarassed sometimes.

we're in france and I speak English all the time to dcs.

Sometimes we get people bending their ears to listen in, which I don't mind so much. (except the obvious silence in the restaurant, followed by low whispers, and it's obvious they're discussing you!)

Often we get that 'aren't they lucky to be bilingual' conversation (which I tire of to be honest)but I do know it's well-intended.

But those don't embarass me.

What I get embarassed about is when people speak down to me, like they do to some tourists who don't know their arse from their elbow. I'm embarassed to be put in the same box, wanting people to know that I do speak French and I'm not an imbecile..

Pillowcase, if that happens to us (English family in Germany) my DDs usually go into a routine (I swear they practice it!) of "oh Mummy, listen, they think we're tourists and don't live here! Isn't it funny to think we'd be here and not speak German?"

Now all the children have to learn English from the 3rd grade (age ... hmmm... 8?) I speak English to all the children we see - if they obviously don't understand we switch to German, and if any children come round to play we speak German (unless they have come round to practice or to go over English homework).

In the past, however, I had little old ladies complaining to me that I should speak German to the DDs. I just ignore that stuff now. We're about to introduce French into the household, which should be interesting...