We have three kids. Their blood, half German / half French, is tinted with shades of Dutch and Bulgarian. Their culture is clearly 50% American / 50% Franco-Germano-Swiss, all places they lived and grew up in. Three languages are spoken at the dinner table. Christian will make a statement in German, which I will reinforce in French, and listen to one of the kids answer back in English. Our perfect melting pot. Nothing more natural to us. I’d love to see us from the outside. But from the inside, this all seems very normal.
Now, each one of our kids is very unique. They have their own personalities and we see sides of us shine through each one of them. We often joke that Ava, our oldest one, is totally Christian. Good luck getting a response when she catches a glimpse of a screen. She also has that musical and artsy side, found on his side of the family.
Somehow, Christian also claims our son, Mark. And that is really just because that little boy has so much naughtiness in him, it can’t possibly come from my side ☺
Our youngest one, however, is mine. She is so French, it almost scares me. It is totally in her DNA. We started saying she was French when she was just a little baby. I remember her munching on non-pasteurized cheese as a toddler. Ever since she’s been able to sit herself up, she’d be the first and last at the dinner table. She can eat for 45 minutes and you see her enjoy herself in everything she brings to her mouth.
While her older siblings will eat from everything, Elin enjoys food in a different manner. We can’t really think of a different word than “French.” She just enjoys food in a very French manner. “Bonne vivante” and “épicurienne” are French words that don’t even really have an English translation, but depict her perfectly. On a recent trip, she ate more shrimp than the rest of us combined.
Elin is the one who will wake up in the morning and eat an early breakfast. She will then proceed to breakfasting a second time with her siblings, finishing up their bowls, should they leave anything. And her natural response when she gets to daycare and is asked if she wants to breakfast is “yes.”
But that does not stop there. Our French little girl has moods. That might be Christian’s favorite argument for her French-ness. She has moods and a bit of a snob side to her. Acting quite like a princess in many ways, you just know she comes from somewhere else, even though she’s lived state-side since she was a year old.
She does not bulge and knows better. She holds her head up high and rolls her eyes.
That little girl is totally French and there is nothing we can do about it. She has always been, and likely always will be, the French-est of us all. If you happen to ever be on a cruise ship with her, be on the safe side and make sure she gets her French bread and butter and enough shrimp to fill 2. Do not mention mac ‘n cheese, she’ll be offended. Which 3-year old does that?!?!
Do you see differences in your children and traits coming from either side of your family? Share them with us below!
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