Something happened at home yesterday and I am not sure how to handle it.
My 5 year old daughter come home from school yesterday accompanied by her 5 year old Thai girlfriend. My wife had prepared a snack for them and they were talking in Thai and within hearing distance.
The subject they were discussing eventually got around to the topic "if your dads a farang are you a farang". My daughter was horrified. She said I am Thai not a farang and appeared upset that her friend would ask her such a question.
I thought it best not to become involved in their conversation at that point and decided to wait until my friend had gone home.
Afterwards I sat down with her and explained that as daddy was Australian and Mummy was Thai that she was a "Luk Khrung" or half Thai/ half Australian.
Without going into the birds and the bees subject she seemed happy with the explanation and went off to play.
I sat down and I was totally gob smacked. Didn't know what to think. Are these 2 terms derogatory and offensive labels or is it just a Thai way of pigeon holing us. Are they taking the piss and we don't know it or am I just being over sensitive?
I asked my 11 year daughter, (whom I have just recently recovered from my former ex-bar girl girlfriend and after a long battle), about what she thought I was and more importantly what she thought she was. She said I was a farang and she was a Thai, not a Luk Khrun.
I asked her whether she thought the term farang was a good term or a bad term and she said she didn't know but the other Thai girls at school always referred to the foreign kids as farang and it was considered funny amongst her Thai friends.
I would appreciate your advise about how you may handle this situation and or thoughts, either positive or negative regarding the term farang.
Thanks in advance.