1948: Grandpa Arthur describes my mom

Sylvie Jacqueline "Jackie" Byland née Lubinski,
age two or three.

    In a letter from 1948, my grandfather described how his children were doing, to a friend back in France*:

    She [Liliane] is eight and a half years old. Her English is nothing like her parents'. She speaks it without the slightest accent. Some French. It's good, but she lacks some complex vocabulary. And Dad is an absolute dictator, who totally forbids bilingual “salads”. Each language must stay pure.

    Sylvie is two and a half years old. Made (according to Dad) in France. Delicate, without appetite, a loud voice, and in perfect health. She is allowed a bilingual salad. 

--Arthur Lubinski to Dr. Jean Planas, July 29, 1948 

    I cracked up when I saw this, because Arthur obviously knew his middle daughter well, and except for the bilingual salad part, it's all still true, more than 7 decades later.   Mom is slender, doesn't eat much, and has always been healthy as a horse. And she has never had any difficulty making herself heard when she wants to. ❤️

Arthur Lubinski with my mom
seven months after immigrating to the US.

* Elle [Liliane] a huit ans et demi. Son anglais n’est pas comme celui de ses parents. Elle le parle sans le moindre accent. Som français. C’est bon, mais de mots compliqués lui manquent. Et papa est un dictateur, un absolu, qui interdit totalement la salade bilingue. Chaque langue doit rester propre.

Sylvie a deux ans et demi. Fabrication, d'après père en France. Frêle, sans appétit, voix haute et en parfaite santé. À elle la salade bilingue est permise. 

--Arthur Lubinski au Dr Jean Planas, 29 juillet 1948