Thanks for all the responses people.
I should have disqualified you Scandinavians - it seems like you all come out of the womb speaking English better than native English speakers (maybe not the Finns so much).
I was recently at the Europa School in Varese, Italy, where there are 3 languages of instruction in every class. It was so humbling to see the students chatting to each other in Italian, then switching to French or German when they spoke to a teacher, then making phone calls in perfect English. I really think multi-lingualism is one of the best gifts a parent can give their children.
I have friends I learnt German with who refuse to speak their mother tongue to their children because they want them to be as 'normal' as possible. I can kind of understand the thinking but it seems like such a wasted opportunity to me.
Sev - I am open to the prospect of past lives. When I first came to Germany on a visit I couldn't leave fast enough. Hated the place. Had an almost physical reaction to the people - hated them. I promised myself I would never return. Nowhere else in Europe did I feel this way - just Germany.
Fast forward a few years and I found myself in a spiritualist church (totally by accident - long story) and some woman tells me I died in a concentration camp in Germany. (Strangely enough, I had mainly jewish friends growing up).
fast forward a few more years, here I am living in Germany, married to a German. Must be a lesson there somewhere...