1. Being proficient in two languages makes you seem really smart.
2. And learning them both when you were really young means that you probably speak without an accent in either.
3. As a child you read a lot of non-English books to “keep up the language”.
4. And although you hated doing extra studying as a child, you know you'll make your further kids do the same.
5. You dip in and out of both languages when you're at home with your family.
6. And your texts with your parents are probably an amalgamation of languages too.
7. Going through 57577556 language keyboards on your phone before you get to the emoji one is a bit tiresome.
8. If your parent’s first language doesn’t have gendered pronouns, they’ll mix up "him" and "her" a lot.
9. Sometimes, you too get confused about which words are English and which aren't.
10. But hey, at least you can bitch about strangers with your parents without needing to be discreet.
11. Your grandparents will always be suspicious of England and whether you are eating enough good food and getting enough vitamins.
12. Your parents will complain about the weird things "the English" do.
13. But they will also complain about the weird things people do in their home country when they visit, because they're now so used to "the English" way of doing things.
14. And call lots of things that are literally just English “very English”.
15. Your accent changes based on who you hang out with.
16. People are always surprised when they hear you on the phone to your parents because you suddenly switch to a different language.
17. Holidays, like Christmas, are a weird mixture of traditions at your house.
Finnish Christmas food was lush! It was a long day in the kitchen but the food is devoured… https://t.co/kZokWqEUoP
But maybe you get to have two Christmases.
18. If your parents aren't that sure of their English, they probably get you to check their grammar.
19. And occasionally function as their translator.
20. Nothing is more infuriating than people talking down to someone that speaks English with an accent.
anytime i see ignorant Americans boldly misunderstand people who aren't native English speakers I think of my parents and go in a blind rage
21. You expect any long term partner of yours to learn at least a little bit of your first language, so they'll get along with your family.
22. You'll always be grateful to your parents for not letting you forget your mother tongue.
