@jaribu; my two children speak Kikuyu fluently. My wife and I took a strategic decision to speak to the kids in Kikuyu right from birth. In fact,by the time they go to nursery school,Kikuyu is the only language they can understand.

Believe me; if you commit yourself,it is very easy to influence the language that your child learns. The excuse that we are too busy does not carry any water...if you are a serious parent,then your children are the second most important people to you [the most important person being your spouse!!].

For that reason,you should make time for them every day. Tell them about you day,let them tell you about theirs etc and do it in your mother tongue.

Even if your maid is from another tribe,you can still influence the language that your children will speak.

BTW: Contrary to popular belief,children who speak in mother tongue at home do better in English language in school. This fact was proven by Prof. Okoth-Okombo of the UoN in the mid-1980's

Behind the gardens...Behind the wall...Under the tree (Including: Red...Dark Blue...Yellow)

mukiha has opened another tinderbox,says he...

'if you are a serious parent,then your children are the second most important people to you [the most important person being your spouse!!]'

aheeem...........do you guys agree or it should be the other way round?



bY aNy MeAns NecEsSaRy.....

@mukiha....if am luo and she is kamba....now which language do we speak with the kids??

If you have money that you expect to start using in five years,it now belongs in stocks.

@ Jaribu

I totally agree with mukiha on the hierachy of importance. Although for me I would add God i.e.

God
Your Wife
Your family
Everything else

If you want your kid to speak mother tongue then mukiha gives you great insight.. Some of us don't really mind if they speak mother tongue or not. Esp in the cross-tribal marriages. As long as you are good parents and you love and treat your kids right,good in discipline,morals e.t.c. The tribe thing is not really relevant in terms of good parenting and its importance varies from family to family. So you and your wife determine the terms,seek advice if necessary,then execute the decision in the best way you can. Join this site for further parenting tips www.babycenter.com

'The greatest discovery of my generation is that a human being can alter his life by altering his attitudes.” William James

@skodhe:

In our patriarchal society,a child takes the tribe of the father...unless the father did not complete the marital requirements of the tribe of the mother.

Thus the term 'mother tongue' is actually a misnomer. It should be 'father tongue'

Having said that; I know a Kikuyu lady who is married to a Luo man. She speaks perfect Luo and their children also speak perfect Luo.

That is the sort of commitment that we should place on marriage....many modern marriages are 'com-we-stays' with certificates from the AG!!!

Behind the gardens...Behind the wall...Under the tree (Including: Red...Dark Blue...Yellow)

@Jaribu

Did you ever get a school for local languages?

its tricky when the you have mixed families. Imagine your wife speaking to the kid in kiuk and you cant understand you have to keep getting translations and you speak to the kid in luo and have to keep translating to your wife..... ama you get relatives in the house speaking in kiuk and you are there and cant understand...... ni ngumu yenyewe.

Experience is what you get when you don't get what you want.

After the age of 14yrs kids can never forget their mother tongue.The sad thing is that apart from few rural school teaching kids their mother tongue,most school punish students who use it.


you can achive all things through Him(Jesus Christ)

@AlphDoti,I think the question has been answered.

What a better school than one in the evening conversing with your kids and asking them how thay hav been during the day in mother tongue.

Or discussing the plan of the day over breakfast in the morning with your kids in mother tongue.

There those rural schools that teach in mother-tongue,but you might not want to go that way if you stay in town.

I support tha ideas.Nowadays I talk to my kids(7 & 2) in Kimeru.They are really enjoying it.hope wataongea soon.Lets keep our M-tongues alive.

The integrity of the upright shall guide them: but the perverseness of transgressors shall destroy them.Proverbs 11.3

@Jay R

We are talking of our mother tongues,our local languages if you like. But if you want to call them 'tribal languages' that would also do... but yes,thats what we want our children to learn.

Experience is what you get when you don't get what you want.