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Grandparenting

help for son's polish girlfriend

(63 Posts)
NannyTee Wed 27-Dec-17 19:46:11

hmm

Jalima1108 Wed 27-Dec-17 19:41:13

some sort of manual I could give her that explains life in the UK

eg
In the United Kingdom people eat a lot of chips.
If you do want to be like the British and eat chips then it is best to buy oven chips to cook in the oven on a tray or to go to the fish and chip shop to purchase them. You may find that British people refer to this shop as 'the chippy'.

I could get my DD to translate that into Polish for you if you like, she used to teach there.

Jalima1108 Wed 27-Dec-17 19:38:29

You could buy one of those air fryers for them.
bestreviews.com/best-air-fryers
Much more healthy anyway than deep fried chips!

The instruction manuals for everything are in many different languages these days - we keep the English part (2 pages usually) and throw away the other 40 pages!

Chewbacca Wed 27-Dec-17 19:31:03

some sort of manual I could give her that explains life in the UK

I'm struggling to understand this to be honest. Surely domestic life in the UK is the same as life in Poland, isn't it? Or are you saying that Polish families "wander off, leaving a full pan of chips on the stove"? And do Polish familes not do "basic safety"? Are they all reckless with the safety of their homes and children? And if she's managed to run a household successfully for the past 5 years, why is she only now making life threatening mistakes? If this is a genuine enquiry, it doesn't seem to me that the problem is just a lack of understanding English which doesn't seem to have much bearing on the problem anyway. confused

brainyblonde Wed 27-Dec-17 18:42:39

Thanks for your comments - I had hoped there would be some sort of manual I could give her that explains life in the UK but never mind! Appreciate the support.

brainyblonde Wed 27-Dec-17 18:40:11

Hi, they have two little ones aged 2.5 and 3 months.

brainyblonde Wed 27-Dec-17 18:38:44

Hi Suzied - I think language is not needed for procreation! I know, we have no idea how they manage their everyday life.

suzied Wed 27-Dec-17 18:36:23

Safety of a chip pan would be the same in Poland, so can’t be a language thing. I got rid of a chip pan aeons ago after my teenage kids burnt the kitchen, I then got one of those electric fryers. Now I just don’t cook chips!

Jalima1108 Wed 27-Dec-17 18:11:58

Who nearly burnt the house down, was it him or her?

It can happen, our neighbours did that.
And surely they cook chips in Poland too? It can't be due to a language problem.

She could try this online resource:
www.esolcourses.com/

I am surprised, though, most Polish people I know who have been here a while speak excellent English.

including making children
Bluebelle tchgrin

phoenix Wed 27-Dec-17 17:36:26

You mention "grandchildren", plural. How many, and what age are they?

grannyactivist Wed 27-Dec-17 17:33:51

The incident with the chip pan could happen to anybody and is one of the most common causes of kitchen fires in the country - so I wouldn't read too much into that one incident, but the wider problem is one of learning the language as the doorway to better integration. Sadly the FE colleges rarely offer free English lessons any more, but most towns and cities have charities that can and do. Rather than find Polish resources perhaps you could offer to babysit so she can go to a class, or direct her to free English lessons on the internet.

BlueBelle Wed 27-Dec-17 17:28:39

Is this a wind up ? How has she managed to work in U.K. for five years without knowing the language and surely the safety of cooking chips is the same in Poland as in England
If he can’t explain to her the safety of the kitchen after five years how have they managed to do anything together including making children ?

brainyblonde Wed 27-Dec-17 17:20:53

I wonder if anyone can help me - and my son. My grandchildren's mum is Polish, lived and worked in the UK for the past 5 years before maternity leave but has a poor grasp of english and has never integrated well. Anyhow my son has just texted me to says he nearly burned the house down cooking chips in a full pan and wandering off. He has tried to explain basic safety but she just gets upset and cries. Does anyone know of any polish language resources I can pass on to her?