An American mother living in Italy experiences isolation when she struggles to help her daughter with homework involving technical Italian terms. Despite her proficiency in the language after 10 years, she finds herself lost and overwhelmed during the assignment, leading to tears. This incident highlights her overall sense of disconnection as a foreign parent. Although she has Italian friends, fast-paced conversations often leave her feeling excluded, prompting her to rely on her Italian husband for homework support and bringing her isolation to the forefront.
I love the idea of helping my daughter with her homework; it makes me so happy to see her learning and thriving. It was difficult to admit that I could no longer do that.
The homework incident made me realize how isolated I can feel as an American mom in Italy. Being a mom can be isolating on its own, but I also work from home.
I've been living in Italy for over 10 years and speak Italian very well. However, no matter how good my Italian may be, there are words that I don't know.
Even when I have Italian mom friends, I often get lost in the conversation since Italians speak very quickly, which emphasizes my isolation.
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