Dad Hates Daughter And Wife Using Their ‘Native’ Language That He Doesn’t Know, Gets Reality Check
We don’t have to tell you that family relations can be complicated; everyone knows that. Whether from their own experiences or from the stories we share here on Bored Panda, it doesn’t matter – the fact is that they do.
They can be complicated for various reasons, from different characters clashing to money problems to even languages… The latter is exactly what complicated the family’s journey in today’s story. So the question stands – will they be able to recover?
All families are complicated; the only difference is in the reasons behind their complications
Image credits: drobotdean / Freepik (not the actual photo)
Today’s family suffered a rather dramatic situation because of language differences
Image credits: freepik / Freepik (not the actual photo)
The daughter was being raised in an English/Welsh household
Image credits: SnooMacaroons7686
Image credits: The Yuri Arcurs Collection / Freepik (not the actual photo)
Since she went to a Welsh school, she started speaking that language more than English, which annoyed her father
Image credits: smokewree928/ Freepik (not the actual photo)
He tried forbidding her from doing so, but that backfired
Image credits: SnooMacaroons7686
After some time, he saw the flaw in his actions and managed to fix his wrongdoings
The OP is English, while his wife is Welsh, which makes their daughter part Welsh too. What bugged this man was that his wife was very adamant about identifying this way and not British, even though, in his mind, they are not mutually exclusive. In fact, he identified her views as “extreme nationalism.”
She named their daughter with a Welsh name, which makes it difficult for the man’s family to pronounce or spell it. The girl is also attending a Welsh school, where she gets to use the language, and she keeps talking in it with her mom, her mom’s family, and school friends. That kind of annoyed the dad, and that’s why he asked her to stop, but the mom put an end to it – why should the girl stop speaking one of her native languages?
Apparently, when the man agreed to raise their daughter bilingually, he expected her to opt for English, because that seemed like the “logical” choice, as it’s all around them. But since she chose Welsh, he couldn’t help but feel confused. His wife suggested a solution for this – Welsh lessons, but he didn’t really see a point in it.
And that’s where he’s wrong. You see, learning a new language is always a good choice, as it gives so many benefits. It stimulates a person’s brain, as while learning a new language, gray matter grows. This matter is responsible for processing information, controlling memory, emotions, and movement. Basically, your brain is just like any other muscle – the more you put it to use, the stronger it gets.
Image credits: freepik / Freepik (not the actual photo)
It also helps to stave off cognitive decline and mental aging. Studies show that multilingual folks tend to show signs of Alzheimer’s and dementia at a later age compared to monolinguals. Besides that, learning languages also improves one’s attention span, opens more career opportunities, boosts creativity, and helps build more meaningful connections.
The latter part is probably the most important for the OP. If his daughter is speaking another language, wouldn’t he like to connect with her by learning it? Plus, the Welsh language itself is an interesting one. And even though it’s not the most popular in the world, it still can be worth learning it for all the previously mentioned benefits, as well as just for the sole fact that it can be a rather thrilling (and a bit confusing) experience too.
Well, after some time, the man seemingly came to his senses and realized that lashing out at his daughter for speaking her native tongue was an unreasonable thing to do. And not only that – he made an effort to fix his ways. Now, he’s learning the language and moving away from this family drama, which netizens thought was a very wholesome resolution.
Netizens thought that the story couldn’t have ended in a more wholesome way
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Dim iaith ydy "di-bwynt"! No language is "pointless!" Learning a second language benefits your first language in ways you don't even realise. Plus Welsh is a great language. And I say that as an Englishman.
If one knows languages in different families, it certainly gives perspective and a sense of concepts. The differences on notices can include: sentence structure, different verb tenses, and how pronouns and articles for nouns are categorized (formal/informal, masculine/feminine/neutral, has a soul or not, etc.). I work in two languages and occasionally see terminology that needs to be translated. I had to explain to my collaborator that the translator needs the entire sentence for context, not just the two or three words that are in the wrong language.
Load More Replies...Love the update - looks like he reflected and made changes and even his wife admitted to a mistake in her approach. Glad to see a couple of adults work through this so well.
Load More Replies...I once wanted to go to a Welsh spelling bee, but my boss wouldn't give me the six weeks off.
I present to you the way-too-frequent English viewpoint of "It's not even a really different culture", "why do they insist on learning this dead language" (that isn't dead at all), and "haha, these stupid names - no THEY are stupid, not me who can't be bothered to learn the pronounciation of a name". He seems to come around at the end, but d**n, yeah, typical coloniser.
He has a problem with his parents. They can't spell or pronounce Megan? The comment about sheep? What is the matter with them? They need to be cut out, if they can't show some basic respect for their daughter-in-law and grandchild.
Well we know where dad gets his crappy attitude from.
Load More Replies...I find it interesting that in many parts of the USA you are more likely to hear "Megan" pronounced the Welsh way rather than the English way (as described by the OP in a comment).
Every child should learn a second language, regardless of what it is. Learning another language creates new pathways in the brain. And it's much easier to learn at a young age.
The child is school aged and her family still hasn't learned to pronounce or spell Megan??? And Coward OP hasn't done anything about this? I understand there are different pronunciations but all the sounds exist in English, and it's the most common spelling. This is the most English story I've heard in a long time.
I expect this is really a combination of exaggeration for dramatic purposes on OPs part, and a reluctance to pronounce the name the correct way on the family's part.
Load More Replies...Huh, it's really quite something to see this man's personal growth condensed down into such a succinct arc: I'm right -> Oh, maybe I'm wrong? -> Okay so I'm wrong but I still feel right. -> Okay I'm definitely wrong. -> Wow I frakked up big time huh? -> I'm wrong but getting better! -> Improvement!
The Welsh lessons in my school (70s) were not fantastic, and my dyslexia made English hard enough - also my parents didn't speak a word. I tried really really hard, but never got that good. Here is the thing though, the fact I did try laid down the ability to lean another language when I needed to as an adult. I'm fairly fluent in my husband's tounge - I managed loads better than the average English person who doesn't really have daily language lessons in primary like Welsh kids do. I now work in a school in Wales so I do use a lot of incidental Welsh (I have a decent vocabulary, but I wouldn't hold a conversation). My sister's kids are bilingual (not Welsh) the mixed up jumping between languages when they were small annoyed both grandmothers who only knew 1, they are grown now - it was definitely an advantage.
From my experience of learning another language later in life (I live in Venice so learned Italian and also Venetian), I can say that your daughter will benefit in increasing all the ways she can express herself. There are things (ideas, emotions, etc.) that sometimes just go better in your other language when you've really learned it. A second language is a huge gift to her as a person. I'm so glad you have joined in.
Dam you kinda get the whole arc of Reddit correcting him XD glad he admits he fked up. I mean who gets mad that their kids speaks 2 languages at a young age? Only know of a welsh accent cus of ranni from elden ring and it is kinda hot XD So just for that it is not a dead language!
Maybe he should take the time to learn the language instead of dismissing it! Marry a Welsh woman and she is going to speak Welsh and she has every right to pass that on to her daughter...W*F did he expect!?! I see he came around but it's still upsetting that the internet had to come down on him to see the errors of his ways instead of him being adult enough to figure it out himself.
I wouldn't worry about your daughter in Uni....if she speaks two languages that can only benefit her. I am glad that you're learning the language as well. It was poor of you to try to erase her heritage now if your family would only do the same.
It dosent' matter how "great" the Welsh language is it's rude to speak a language that somewone else in the house hold does not understand constantly. For those saying that it is the daughters "heritage". That is a big NO. The daughters heritage is BOTH Welsh AND English. So she should be speaking BOTH. Not exclusvly Welsh.
"Welsh are British too". Yeah, and was that by choice? I could just point to Northern Ireland for a bloody good example of the complications of identity and to what one thinks they belong. PS: I like the name Myfanwy ("mu-van-oo-ee" (Welsh), "miff-en-ee" (English)).
Northern Ireland did choose to remain part of the UK though. The Good Friday agreement means that NI citizens can have British and/or Irish passports. Scotland also chose to join the union because they were broke. They chose to remain part of said union only 11 years ago.
Load More Replies...My niblings have an English father and Austrian mother. Both the children are bilingual and it doesn't seem to cause them any problems, other than their German is now better than their father's!
Load More Replies...Dim iaith ydy "di-bwynt"! No language is "pointless!" Learning a second language benefits your first language in ways you don't even realise. Plus Welsh is a great language. And I say that as an Englishman.
If one knows languages in different families, it certainly gives perspective and a sense of concepts. The differences on notices can include: sentence structure, different verb tenses, and how pronouns and articles for nouns are categorized (formal/informal, masculine/feminine/neutral, has a soul or not, etc.). I work in two languages and occasionally see terminology that needs to be translated. I had to explain to my collaborator that the translator needs the entire sentence for context, not just the two or three words that are in the wrong language.
Load More Replies...Love the update - looks like he reflected and made changes and even his wife admitted to a mistake in her approach. Glad to see a couple of adults work through this so well.
Load More Replies...I once wanted to go to a Welsh spelling bee, but my boss wouldn't give me the six weeks off.
I present to you the way-too-frequent English viewpoint of "It's not even a really different culture", "why do they insist on learning this dead language" (that isn't dead at all), and "haha, these stupid names - no THEY are stupid, not me who can't be bothered to learn the pronounciation of a name". He seems to come around at the end, but d**n, yeah, typical coloniser.
He has a problem with his parents. They can't spell or pronounce Megan? The comment about sheep? What is the matter with them? They need to be cut out, if they can't show some basic respect for their daughter-in-law and grandchild.
Well we know where dad gets his crappy attitude from.
Load More Replies...I find it interesting that in many parts of the USA you are more likely to hear "Megan" pronounced the Welsh way rather than the English way (as described by the OP in a comment).
Every child should learn a second language, regardless of what it is. Learning another language creates new pathways in the brain. And it's much easier to learn at a young age.
The child is school aged and her family still hasn't learned to pronounce or spell Megan??? And Coward OP hasn't done anything about this? I understand there are different pronunciations but all the sounds exist in English, and it's the most common spelling. This is the most English story I've heard in a long time.
I expect this is really a combination of exaggeration for dramatic purposes on OPs part, and a reluctance to pronounce the name the correct way on the family's part.
Load More Replies...Huh, it's really quite something to see this man's personal growth condensed down into such a succinct arc: I'm right -> Oh, maybe I'm wrong? -> Okay so I'm wrong but I still feel right. -> Okay I'm definitely wrong. -> Wow I frakked up big time huh? -> I'm wrong but getting better! -> Improvement!
The Welsh lessons in my school (70s) were not fantastic, and my dyslexia made English hard enough - also my parents didn't speak a word. I tried really really hard, but never got that good. Here is the thing though, the fact I did try laid down the ability to lean another language when I needed to as an adult. I'm fairly fluent in my husband's tounge - I managed loads better than the average English person who doesn't really have daily language lessons in primary like Welsh kids do. I now work in a school in Wales so I do use a lot of incidental Welsh (I have a decent vocabulary, but I wouldn't hold a conversation). My sister's kids are bilingual (not Welsh) the mixed up jumping between languages when they were small annoyed both grandmothers who only knew 1, they are grown now - it was definitely an advantage.
From my experience of learning another language later in life (I live in Venice so learned Italian and also Venetian), I can say that your daughter will benefit in increasing all the ways she can express herself. There are things (ideas, emotions, etc.) that sometimes just go better in your other language when you've really learned it. A second language is a huge gift to her as a person. I'm so glad you have joined in.
Dam you kinda get the whole arc of Reddit correcting him XD glad he admits he fked up. I mean who gets mad that their kids speaks 2 languages at a young age? Only know of a welsh accent cus of ranni from elden ring and it is kinda hot XD So just for that it is not a dead language!
Maybe he should take the time to learn the language instead of dismissing it! Marry a Welsh woman and she is going to speak Welsh and she has every right to pass that on to her daughter...W*F did he expect!?! I see he came around but it's still upsetting that the internet had to come down on him to see the errors of his ways instead of him being adult enough to figure it out himself.
I wouldn't worry about your daughter in Uni....if she speaks two languages that can only benefit her. I am glad that you're learning the language as well. It was poor of you to try to erase her heritage now if your family would only do the same.
It dosent' matter how "great" the Welsh language is it's rude to speak a language that somewone else in the house hold does not understand constantly. For those saying that it is the daughters "heritage". That is a big NO. The daughters heritage is BOTH Welsh AND English. So she should be speaking BOTH. Not exclusvly Welsh.
"Welsh are British too". Yeah, and was that by choice? I could just point to Northern Ireland for a bloody good example of the complications of identity and to what one thinks they belong. PS: I like the name Myfanwy ("mu-van-oo-ee" (Welsh), "miff-en-ee" (English)).
Northern Ireland did choose to remain part of the UK though. The Good Friday agreement means that NI citizens can have British and/or Irish passports. Scotland also chose to join the union because they were broke. They chose to remain part of said union only 11 years ago.
Load More Replies...My niblings have an English father and Austrian mother. Both the children are bilingual and it doesn't seem to cause them any problems, other than their German is now better than their father's!
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