We are a somewhat odd family. You know we are Italian so one could only assume that my children would speak Spanish as it is closest to Italian. They both do take Spanish but Jack wanted to be more challenged so he took up Russian. It started on You Tube watching videos on how to speak the language and then he asked for language tapes for his birthday. I am proud to say he can read it, speak it and write some of it.
Jack asked me to order a t-shirt for him that said “Eat. Sleep. Basketball.” Before I placed the order, just for the heck of it, I searched the site for Russian t-shirts. They had a ton of them! I picked a red, white and black one that had a phrase in Russian and below it said, ….Means Have a Nice Day in Russian.” Super, I ordered it.
The t-shirts arrived today and I am so excited to surprise him. I laid the t-shirts on his bed for him to see when he gets home from school. I hear him laughing from the kitchen. “MOM! Do you know what this says?” “Yes, Jack, I can read, it says Have a Nice Day.”
“No, it actually means F*#K You in Russian.” Oh My God. I was both saddened and proud. Proud that he read the phrase in Russian and sad as to how he came about knowing that particular phrase. Gotta love You Tube.
Now I know to use Google Translator if I purchase any t-shirts that are not in Italian, Spanish or English. And to think I stopped at the cemetery on the way home today and asked my Grandmother to watch over my kids….who’s watching over me? Scary.
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