Good morning!
It’s Friday and that means it’s time for me to answer one question from a reader.
So here we go…
From The Mailbag
Diya P. writes:
“I have two kids. Could you please suggest ways how I can improve their English?”
I can.
And I will.
But first, I want to tell you…
A Tale of Two Sisters
Sister #1
One day, Mr. Vig was invited to dine at the house of his sister.
Also at the dinner were sister #1’s two daughters, Megan and Shannon.
For the meal, sister #1 had prepared three dishes: salmon, pita bread and hummus, and steamed broccoli.
The food was tasty, healthy and filling.
Everyone ate some of each dish and felt satisfied.
Then Mr. Vig pretended to be ill, went to the bathroom for 15 minutes, and when he returned the table was clear and the dishes were clean.
The perfect ending to a delightful meal.
Sister #2
On another day, not long after the dinner at sister #1’s house, Mr. Vig was invited to dine at the house of his other sister.
Mr. Vig drove across the Blue Ridge Mountains, into the Shenandoah Valley, and arrived at his sister #2’s house just as the meal was coming out of the oven.
It smelled delicious and everyone sat down to eat.
There was meatloaf and gravy, canned peas, home-made apple sauce (an American specialty), mashed potatoes and gravy, and ice cream and cake for dessert.
The food was tasty and everyone ate some of each dish.
Except, the peas.
I ate some. My brother-in-law ate some. But no one else touched them.
They were the loneliest dish on the table.
Then my sister told her youngest son, Jeb, “Eat some vegetables. They’re good for you.”
What Jeb doesn’t know is that this argument is older than he is.
Twenty years ago, when sister #2’s oldest daughter, now 25, was a child at the same table, they had the same argument.
What sister #2 doesn’t know is that sister #1 has never had this argument with her kids.
Later, as I relaxed in the bathroom while my lovely family cleaned the kitchen, I thought about the question, “What’s the difference? Why do Megan and Shannon enjoy broccoli while Jeb believes anything green will poison him?”
Then the answer came to me, “It’s because sister #1 eats her vegetables. And she enjoys them.”
Sister #2 does not.
Sister #1 teaches by her actions.
Sister #2 says, “Do what I say, not what I do.”
Sister #1’s kids eat their veggies.
Sister #2’s do not.
What does this have to do with English and your kids?
I think you can figure it out…
Have a great weekend!