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Justin Richard
Joined: 09 Sep 2010
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 Posted: Mon Sep 13, 2010 5:23 am Post subject: Young Children and their identity |
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I would like to talk with other foreigners who have young children.
I am worried about the identity that they will have or not have with the father's country. In my case this is Canada. My daughters speak fluent Korean for their age but not English.
I would like to exchange e-mail addresses to discuss my concerns.
I live in a small town. I feel that if I lived in Soeul then I could have the chance to meet others in a similar situation.
The few foreigners I have meet here who are married to a Korean have not children. |
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PatrickGHBusan
Joined: 24 Jun 2008
Location: Busan (1997-2008) Canada 2008 -
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| Posted: Mon Sep 13, 2010 5:31 am Post subject: |
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Shoot me a pm.
I lived in Korea (Busan) for 11 years and our son was born there. He spent the first few years of his life in Korea.
Now we live in Canada (since 2008) with our two kids and the language equation is reversed.
I will gladly answer your questions if I can.
Cheers |
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Justin Richard
Joined: 09 Sep 2010
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| Posted: Mon Sep 13, 2010 5:38 am Post subject: |
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I can't. I am new on here and have not made 25 posts yet.
My e-mail is [email protected] |
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Justin Richard
Joined: 09 Sep 2010
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| Posted: Mon Sep 13, 2010 5:44 am Post subject: |
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My two daughters were talking in Korean to each other last night before going to bed and I said speak English. My youngest daughter who is only five said that this is Korea and that I should speak Korean.
I have only been in Korea since March after a long absence and tney have only been here a year but their Korean is far better now than English or Chinese.
I am worried about their English level and feeling Canadian. I want them to be Canadian. |
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Unposter
Joined: 04 Jun 2006
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| Posted: Mon Sep 13, 2010 6:15 am Post subject: |
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On the positive side, you have noticed how quickly they pick up Korean. If you take them back to Canada, chances are they will pick up English quick as well.
But, some skills do require proper education. My guess is you need to spend more time with your daughters. And, try not to say things like speak English. Ask them questions in English and wait for them to respond. Play with them. Take them places. And, speak to them as much as possible. Talk to them about Canada and their identity in English. If they are interested, they will respond. If they are not interested, well, if you want them to speak English and have a Canadian identity, you are going to have to take them back to Canada.
But, first, spend more time with them. Play with them. Talk to them. That really is the key. |
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PatrickGHBusan
Joined: 24 Jun 2008
Location: Busan (1997-2008) Canada 2008 -
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| Posted: Mon Sep 13, 2010 6:44 am Post subject: |
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| Unposter wrote: |
On the positive side, you have noticed how quickly they pick up Korean. If you take them back to Canada, chances are they will pick up English quick as well.
But, some skills do require proper education. My guess is you need to spend more time with your daughters. And, try not to say things like speak English. Ask them questions in English and wait for them to respond. Play with them. Take them places. And, speak to them as much as possible. Talk to them about Canada and their identity in English. If they are interested, they will respond. If they are not interested, well, if you want them to speak English and have a Canadian identity, you are going to have to take them back to Canada.
But, first, spend more time with them. Play with them. Talk to them. That really is the key. |
Good advice there by unposter.
I will email you Justin.
In the meantime, our kids are fully bilingual (English and Korean). We lived in Korea and since 2008 in Canada. We use the same policy with some adjustments.
In short this is what we did:
I spoke English only when interacting with my kids.
My wife spoke Korean only.
We used skype (with cam and mic) as soon as our kids could speak so they could see and speak with their grandparents in Canada. We now use it the other way so they can see and talk to their Korean grandparents.
I set aside time for movies and TV in English as well. I read stories to my kids in English almost every night.
When we moved to Canada we applied the same logic with the twist that as our kids get older, Korean is becoming the language in the house as they get plenty of exposure and practice with English in their daily lives at school and at the daycare.
As for the feeling of belonging or cultural identity, we try to reinforce each culture but at the end of the day, they will probably indentify more with one than the other depending on where they spend the most time.
Just telling your kids to interact in English will not work because it is not natural for them to do so. You need to get in the game and lead by example. You need to create situations where English will take center stage but in a natural way that will foster communication freely. Use varied methods: movies, TV, stories, activities.
For example, when my son turned 4 he balked at speaking English a few times. However he loves his grandmother in Canada and she does not speak much Korean (she picked up some basics only). One day we had a discussion and I asked him if he liked talking to his grandmother. He answer yes and bingo, there was motivation to use English: so he could call his grandmother on the computer.
Last edited by PatrickGHBusan on Mon Sep 13, 2010 6:57 am; edited 1 time in total |
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Caffeinated
Joined: 11 Feb 2010
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| Posted: Mon Sep 13, 2010 6:55 am Post subject: |
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| Justin Richard wrote: |
| My youngest daughter who is only five said that this is Korea and that I should speak Korean. |
A very strong opinion coming from a five year old. I wonder how she arrived at such an idea. |
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seoulsucker
Joined: 05 Mar 2006
Location: The Land of the Hesitant Cutoff
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| Posted: Mon Sep 13, 2010 6:07 pm Post subject: |
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| Caffeinated wrote: |
| Justin Richard wrote: |
| My youngest daughter who is only five said that this is Korea and that I should speak Korean. |
A very strong opinion coming from a five year old. I wonder how she arrived at such an idea. |
Wonder indeed. Probably the same reason my friend's 10 year old expressed how "the Jews have all the money" on my last trip back to the States.  |
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Globutron
Joined: 13 Feb 2010
Location: England/Anyang
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| Posted: Mon Sep 13, 2010 7:52 pm Post subject: |
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| seoulsucker wrote: |
| Caffeinated wrote: |
| Justin Richard wrote: |
| My youngest daughter who is only five said that this is Korea and that I should speak Korean. |
A very strong opinion coming from a five year old. I wonder how she arrived at such an idea. |
Wonder indeed. Probably the same reason my friend's 10 year old expressed how "the Jews have all the money" on my last trip back to the States. |
So true, so true. |
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