Raising barang kids here

[FatherTime]

I know that many of you with kids have mixed blood children, half European half Khmer. The mother is Khmer and the family is as well, they live here, and they have that strong Khmer cultural upbringing because of that.

Even so, I still see a lot of these children struggling to speak Khmer, and they all seem very Western in behavior, etc.

My question is, has anyone raised purely Western children here? I wonder how to really get them the Khmer culture, language, etc. without being fully immersed as parents. Of course you could move to Kompong Speu and start a poultry farm, or send the kids to a public school (not an option), but what are some more reasonable ways? Because even the fully Khmer kids in some of the private schools seem to shun the language and choose pizza over prahok.

But it seems like a shame to raise kids here for the cultural experience, but then have them really be just little Westerners and not little Khmerized Westerners. I'm beyond the age of learning to enjoy bulot, but the kids growing up might as well learn to like it, for example.

[Marinaris]

The truth is Pizza > Prohok.

[logos]

My question is, has anyone raised purely Western children here? I wonder how to really get them the Khmer culture, language, etc. without being fully immersed as parents. Of course you could move to Kompong Speu and start a poultry farm, or send the kids to a public school (not an option), but what are some more reasonable ways?

School is by far the best option (actually I think it's the only one if neither parent is Cambodian) , along with a Khmer nanny who will have to be ordered to speak only Khmer to your kid.

[newnewnewbie]

It depends on what sort of opportunities you provide them with, such as citizenship, a nurturing somewhat informed environment, access to technology, and so forth. With schools I think it's good to be careful about the stigma coming from certain teachers who tend to create problems based on basic group psychology factors. It's been proven that incapable kids in school are mostly a product of the teachers and not the kids, so if things are bad at school, seek another more nurturing environment to avoid the regular stereotyping. In an increasingly globalized world, I think it's possible to raise kids of mixed background to become successful despite the often challenging odds, coming from living in a third world country.

[Lucky Lucan]

Pretty much every mixed Cambodian/ foreign kid I know here is bilingual and speaks Khmer fluently. Many of the international kids who have no Cambodian blood are also fluent in Khmer and often speak a number of other languages.

[ផោមក្លិនស្អុយ]

Pretty much every mixed Cambodian/ foreign kid I know here is bilingual and speaks Khmer fluently. Many of the international kids who have no Cambodian blood are also fluent in Khmer and often speak a number of other languages.

I know a few kids here who are bilingual - excellent English and spoken Khmer but their reading and writing of Khmer is atrocious (like on a par with mine!)
Some international schools allocate a very small amount of time to Khmer lessons. It’s something worth looking into.

[Jitters]

Pretty much every mixed Cambodian/ foreign kid I know here is bilingual and speaks Khmer fluently. Many of the international kids who have no Cambodian blood are also fluent in Khmer and often speak a number of other languages.

I know a few posters on this board whose mixed kids don’t speak Khmer worth shit.

I asked a Khmer girl the other day how to say “happy birthday”, and she responded “I don’t know... I mostly speak English”.

[newnewnewbie]

Kids pick up on their environment. If the parents speak English they will mostly pick up on that including their mistakes, but if they are part of a larger home, where Khmer is used more often, they will pick up on that as well. I think most of them will probably find employment in the tourism and entertainment sectors, or possibly as teachers so their English skills will have more use, while reading and writing Khmer is more needed in places like government offices etc. But I might be wrong, just thinking loud here.

[holidayinkh]

My question is, has anyone raised purely Western children here?

I'm not sure what "purely Western" really means, but, I don't think that would even be possible unless the child was deaf, blind, and anosmic. Or possibly extremely autistic. Kind of like how you can drive a nice car here, have a nice house, etc - you still can not have a quality of life or standard of living comparable to many western countries - especially for kids. As someone else mentioned, "Kids pick up on their environment".

Regarding language, my mixed son speaks excellent English and has great comprehension skills, far above average for his age even vs English speaking countries. But he has expressed zero desire to speak Khmer with anyone, and flat out says so. He does however understand some and is quite young. I'm sure if he sees value in speaking Khmer he will speak it.

In the meantime I see no reason to push it. There is very little use in being able to speak Khmer outside of Cambodia, and I don't believe his future lies in Cambodia. Most of his school friends that can't speak any English are little shitheads that are only a bad influence.

[newnewnewbie]

Ha ha, +1 for that post.. maybe not as diplomatic. but most def. a lot of rude local kids here. My kids know Khmer, but they don't want to speak it in front of me, they just close up like a shell.

[holidayinkh]

Ha ha, +1 for that post.. maybe not as diplomatic. but most def. a lot of rude local kids here. My kids know Khmer, but they don't want to speak it in front of me, they just close up like a shell.

Lots of good kids here too, and I didn't mean to imply that all kids that don't speak any English are shitheads. Just to be clear.

Cambodia is proudly home to a wide variety of those regardless of language, age, or ethnicity. Myself probably included.

I did get an impressive display of English the other day when some kid called me a "motherfucker" after nearly riding into the side of my vehicle. Nice to see the communication skills of kids out in the villages is improving.

[crazyjohn]

I am trying to de Khmerise Kkmer kids.They are learning to work hard, be punctual, be polite, be organised and to think rationally. Never late for school, always do their homework, no days off due to hypochondria read lots of books and ask questions. Eat properly, no sweets or fizzy drinks, brush teeth twice a day. Don't litter.

[newnewnewbie]

Yes, many probably do, like the ones working at Microsoft Cambodia, one of the most innovative branches at the moment, originally established to provide affordable legal software for businesses. As for learning to read and write Khmer, my wife taught herself, and would be able to help pass it on, if in need. And Chinese is possibly a very useful option as well, to keep up with the fast moving times. But the vast amount of literature available in English keeps it a high priority, behind these walls.