Is Teaching Our Children Native Language More Important Than a Foreign Language?

“My Son Can Speak fluent Japanese” boasts a visibly proud mother. Oh Great! My daughter just gave her A2 German exam quickly exclaims another parent who does not want to lose the opportunity of blowing one’s own trumpet. These are a ubiquitous set of conversations one gets to hear in a parent’s get-together. The unfortunate in the assemblage, vow to themselves that the first thing they would do after going home is to put their kids in some foreign language course. So that they will have something to flaunt about in the next PTA meeting. But the same parent’s face turns red in embarrassment and anger when their ward converses in their native language. Some specimen lots feel that they are trendy by not speaking their mother tongue or the Native language, they feel elated to announce that they speak only English at home and their kids don’t know their native language or mother tongue. All such persons should be reminded that “You or your children don’t become an English or American or Australian just because you speak their language.” Accepted that English is the universal language and being in a fast-evolving globalized world, we need to have a good grasp of the English language which in turn would fetch us jobs abroad(dream of today’s parent). But a language must never be overvalued or undervalued. When you make your son/daughter learn a foreign language, it’s your sole responsibility to make sure they are comfortable with their own mother tongue and native language otherwise the kids will never value their language and culture and subsequently lose their own identity. By living in America or Japan, you don’t become Native American or Japanese, even if your children are born there, they would be termed Indian-origin American only. If that is the case of non-resident Indian, for parents bringing up their children here, will have to compulsory teach them our language and culture to keep our heritage alive.