My children speak Marathi
And I feel proud of it.
I am an expat. I am Indian by birth, and I moved to the Netherlands. It’s been over 5 years now. When we moved, my son was 6.5 years old and my daughter was just 10 months old.
I have seen many expat children who don’t speak their mother tongue. They speak English with their parents. This surprised me. The parents are Indian, born and raised in India, and spoke their mother tongue all their life. But their children cannot speak it. It feels like colonialism has won. You are helping your own language disappear. You spoke your first words in this language, and now your child can’t speak it.
People say things like “It’s because of globalisation” or “This is how society is now.” But these are just excuses. As parents, we must pass on our language and culture to our kids. Even if both parents speak different languages, teach both. It is good for children. Science says multilingual kids have better brains and memory.
I am happy that both my kids speak Marathi very well. The best part is when we go back home to India. My kids can talk easily with our family there. They fit right in. And in the Netherlands, they also blend well with Dutch and international friends.
Many of my older relatives tell me how happy they are that the kids speak Marathi. They can talk to them properly. My kids also eat with their hands like many Indians do.
Knowing their own language gives them confidence. Just speaking English or any foreign language is not enough. Speaking your mother tongue doesn’t mean you stop learning other languages. My daughter goes to a Dutch school, and she is doing really well.
English or Dutch or any other language is not my job to teach.
They will learn these languages from school, friends, daycare, and teachers. But teaching them Marathi, their mother tongue, is my responsibility.
Embracing other cultures and languages doesn’t mean you forget your own. It means you hold your language close to your heart and still grow in other languages too. For me, that is real globalisation.
