t-28: dual heritage

I've got behind on the Cletus countdown posts. I've been busy having fun with my friend visiting from San Francisco.

I just hope falling behind doesn't make Cletus late.

Guess what else was late, the first book the my husband ordered the baby. In fact, it was about four months late.

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The Vol-in-Law ordered a book called Our Island Story - basically British imperial propaganda for small children - in its centenary edition. He ordered it before Christmas for baby Cletus - to make sure that he's properly proud of his British ancestry.

Unfortunately, the book did not arrive and did not come and there was no sign of it for months. But this morning, there was a knock on the door - and a package was handed over - and it was Our Island Story.

I had a quick flip through, and suggested that we might have to skip the chapter called "How America was lost," lest there be any conflicting messages for the young boy.

My husband immediately began to read aloud from the book and such phrases rang from my ears:

• But the Americans were not meek at all. They made ready to fight.
• The colonists looked upon Britain as their mother-country...and now for a want of a little kindly feeling and understanding between them, mother and children were fighting bitterly.
• [The war minister Pitt advised] "You cannot conquire America. They are of our own blood. If I were an American as I am an Englishman, I would never lay down my arms - never, never, never."

And he said, "I don't think you need to censor this at all."

Anyway, I guess this was our first cross-cultural parenting "discussion".

28 27 days til baby Cletus