The new crop of parents

Oh well...This may not be just my observation but this is something I have been wanting to write about for a while now. Initially I thought this was a phenomenon I was seeing happen in my extended family. I thought while most of my generation is trying to improve in this competency (I know I'm getting good at it) they want to provide an early start to their kids. But these days this thing is just getting rampant; so much that I'm just irritated with almost an entire generation of parents barring a few exceptions here and there.

Oops I didn't yet tell what I'm getting irritated about. These days I get a helluva irritated with this legion of parents who can only talk to their kids in goddamn English. Before I rant further, I want to excuse people who want to argue that this blog itself is in English and those who want to say that who I'm today is in part due to my English skills. By no means am I against English. I (coming from the South) will be the first to accept that English is what is binding India together to a certain degree and I also strongly feel that this skill gave us the first mover advantage vis-à-vis the low cost global delivery model (GDM).

But why are things thus. May be because a lot of us go to an office where every communication with your boss, the client and the janitor happens in English. In fact a friend of mine told me some years back that his English improved a lot after he started thinking in English (!!!). But what we probably don't realize is the fact our success to a great degree in business or elsewhere has got to do with the empathy that we have for other people, cultures and languages. The learning of our native languages fosters unique ways of structuring communication and creates indigenous thought patterns that is found no where else on earth. When Google wants to move the Indic way why do we need to go the English way and let our native tongues wane out.

My two paisa: Wake up parents - I know you want your kid to be successful in life. And for that speaking/knowing good English alone is just not enough. Teach your kid 2-3 languages. Develop empathy and language neutrality in them and see them grow into responsible individuals.