My ‘Chinglish’ has a cringe-inducing ocker accent – but I’m determined to pass it on to my child

‘What does it mean for my daughter to study from such an imperfect textbook?’ asks Monica Tan. Photograph: Xiu Huo/Getty Images

My seven-month-old daughter lay on her play mat, each chubby fist clutching one puny foot. It was a perfect demonstration of the “happy baby” yoga pose. I wanted to tell her so in Mandarin.

“Zhè shì kuàilè yīng’ér–,” I said.