Childhood

I decided to write this post on the first thing that came to mind - my childhood. I grew up in a very European styled family. My dad, born in England, but having grown up in Paris, made sure that I retained at least some of his European mannerisms. For starters, from the time I could walk, I was enlisted on a soccer team

el capitano

and from the time I could piece thoughts together, my dad made sure I was a die-hard Arsenal fan, as his father was. Apart from soccer being a big part of my childhood, my dad always wanted me to learn some of the culture that he was raised with. He would always speak to me in French, make me watch the news in foreign languages, and last, but most certainly not least, he drilled me on my table manors. The amount of times I must have heard him say, "bring your plate closer to you", or "no elbows on the table", or "don't speak while chewing". 

Reflecting back on all this, I can really appreciate my dad's good intentions through it all. Although it might have been annoying at the time to hear him always point out my little flaws, or insist that we speak in French, I can see why he did it now, and I am thankful for that.