To The Barricades! writes on a strange court ruling where a father is being ordered to speak English as a condition of his visitation rights.
It is important for all Americans to learn English. If a parent is affirmatively preventing his or her child from learning English, one might argue that court intervention is justified on the grounds that it’s in the child’s best interest.
But according to the story, that doesn’t appear to be the case here. The daughter at issue doesn’t even know Spanish–her father claims he’s trying to teach it to her. Interestingly, the judge is allowing this limited usage, but insists that the father primarily speak English.
How is this order in the child’s best interest? Can’t she learn both languages, speaking Spanish with her father and English everywhere else? I don’t know all the facts in this case, but on its face I fail to see how the judge’s imposition into the parent/child relationship is warranted.