Fly Fly Little Butterfly

Boots keponakanku umur 3 tahun minggu depan. Dia sekolah di dekat rumah, 3 hari dalam seminggu. Boots anak cerdas, cuma nakalnya kadang minta ampun. He simply does what he wants to do.

Suatu hari di sekolah gurunya Bu Eka minta Boots untuk berhitung dan dia mulai berhitung…one two three four five…and stopped. Dia menolak meneruskan dan ngotot hanya akan berhitung dengan 1 tangan. Bu Eka minta dia mengulanginya, sebetulnya si guru minta dia berhitung satu dua tiga dalam bahasa Indonesia, and not in English. Unfortunately when she asked him to redo it, he did it in English again. He said that his friends did the counting in Bahasa already, so it should be in English then. Salah siapa? Well…salahkan kami semua, orang tua, nenek dan tantenya yang ajarkan dia bahasa campur-campur. Dia pikir setelah berhitung dengan bahasa Indonesia lalu diteruskan in English like he does at home.

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Masalah belum berhenti di sini. Suatu hari saat aku antar Boots ke sekolah sama neneknya, ibu guru Boots, Bu Eka, menunjukkan gambar kupu-kupu. “Ini gambar apa?” tanya Bu Eka ke Boots. He proudly answered out loud,” It’s a butterfly.” dan bengong lah si ibu guru. “Bukan Boots, ini gambar kupu-kupu.” kata Bu Eka.

“Bukan Ibu, this is a butterfly.” my nephew insisted.

“Tapi ini kupu-kupu.” eh si ibu guru tetep keukeuh juga.

“De…it’s a butterfly kan?” he looked at me confused. “Dora, it’s butterfly…butterfly…???” he asked his granny who couldn’t stop smiling.

So I simply smiled at him and told him that he’s right,”Yes dear, it’s a butterfly, pet. You got it right.”

Tertawalah si nenek,”Boots, kupu-kupu sama butterfly itu sama. Butterfly when you are at home speak in English with Ade, kupu-kupu di sekolah kalau ditanya Bu Eka.”

Dan bingunglah si kecil.

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“Sekarang waktu menggambar.” ajak Bu Eka ke murid pre-school-nya. “Ini warna apa anak-anak?”

“Purple…and this is red…this is yellow…” (surely) my nephew replied her and got busy with his crayon.

Tinggal Neneknya yang kemudian bingung menjelaskan, ”Bahasa Indonesia Boots…ungu…merah…kuning….”