C’est La Vie

Sometimes you really don’t know what you’re sure that you know.

I know that for sure. Now.

Keely wanted to learn French. The language. Not the kiss. Heaven forbid.

I was emphatic that she needed to take Spanish instead. With our emerging culture here in the States, French would be a waste of time, effort and money. I knew this to be a fact. And I’m always right.

Wrong.

Guess what I learned today? French is spoken in 43 countries. What are the two official languages of the International Olympic Committee? English and French. Not Spanish.

In addition, France has the world’s 5th largest economy and is Europe’s wealthiest country. It is also Europe’s second largest trading nation and the United States’ 9th largest trading partner.

In a global perspective, French is a very important language. The 2nd most important in the world behind English. Turns out that I didn’t know what I thought I knew.

To prepare my children for life, we want to provide them with the best opportunities in the short amount of time we have. Spanish is important and they can learn it after French. Once proficiency is gained in the first foreign language, it’s easier to learn the next language.

So the point of this tale is that my kids keep causing me to realize that I don’t know everything. Can you imagine me with no kids to keep me humble?

C’est la vie.