Why French?

We had a great homeschooling moment today. I was asking the kids what they will say when they go out on Halloween and the answer of course was "trick or treat". I then prompted them by saying "and what do you say when you get the candy?" and The Cat pipes up and says "merci". She didn't think twice about using the American word, which of course she knows.

I have been asked (often) why I am choosing French as the second language for the kids to grow up with. Partially, I think because Miss Mason advocated it, although these days CMer's choose almost any language in it's place. And partially because I did some research and found out these interesting facts:

* French is the 3rd most frequently spoken non-English language in US homes and the second most commonly taught foreign language in the United States (after Spanish).

* French is an official working language in dozens of international organizations, including the United Nations, International Olympic Committee, and International Red Cross.

* French is the lingua franca of culture, including art, cuisine, dance, and fashion. France has won more Nobel Prizes for literature than any other country in the world and is one of the top producers of international films.

* French is the second most frequently used language on the internet.

* French is ranked the 2nd most influential language in the world.

So taking all this into consideration, I am very pleased with our second language choice... and even more please that the kids are picking it up easily and asking to learn more vocabulary every day.