FULL SHOW NOTES with links on Balancingstories.com

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Episode 77: Parenting with an Accent with Author Masha Rumer

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I am parenting with an accent. My Finnish husband and American me are attempting to raise multilingual kids in Germany. And… well… it’s not great and there is a lot of guilt around our lack of success. Then I received Parenting with an Accent and realized, I am not alone.

Author Masha Rumer was born in the former Soviet Union. As a teenager in the 90’s, her family sold everything, and sought refuge in the United States. Her immigrant experience, becoming a parent and the stories in between led her to research how language and culture is passed between generations after immigration.

Now for a disclaimer:

In this interview, we talk about Russian language, literature and food. This interview was recorded on February 21st, the Monday before Russia invaded Ukraine. Masha wants you to know she is horrified by the war, in no way supports it, and is worried about her relatives in Ukraine.

In an interview for KQED, Masha said: “Many of us left the former Soviet Union because we don’t agree with the policies, and yet we’re still finding it reverberates all over the world all over again… It’s a very complicated relationship. Many of us speak the Russian language, which was forced upon people from across the former Soviet Republics. But at the same time, it’s the language we grew up with, and now we’re finding ourselves in a difficult time where we’re ashamed of what the government is doing.”

In her book she explores the relationship we have with the languages we inherit and how that impacts our willingness to speak “other” languages in a new host country. because of the impression it would give. So, along with a collective stance against the war and a united support for Ukraine, I’d like to put out a friendly reminder that not all Russian speakers agree with the politics their language is associated with, especially right now. Let’s be kind to one another.