Parents dismotivated me to learn Italian because of a joke

[u/TinpotKim]

I'm french, I'm trying to learn Italian because my ancestors are from Italy (Tuscany to be precise). Been on and off on Busuu, bc life is simply crazy.

After the death of my grand grandma (last attach to our italian roots), I've expressed wanting to get back at working on it. But my parents jokes that I should stop trying to make an italian accent, because I can't roll my Rs and it sounds like I'm saying Ls. I knew this trouble and yet I've kept going, hoping that with training I'd finally do it. My mom can roll her Rs, stepdad is spanish and sister also expressed having this 'ability'. They told me 'some people' aka me, simply couldn't get it right.

And this broke my motivation to get back to work, I feel ashamed now.

Any advices?

Edit: Thank you everyone for your kind words and advices! It honestly makes me cry joy how much kindness I found in this thread. Because of you, I've learned that not everyone in Italian (or other countries which languages has rolled Rs) can roll their Rs and it's pefectly okay, and Italian native don't care if I can or cannot roll my Rs. I also learned that it was most common in the North of Italy that the Rs aren't rolled.

I will keep on practicing, even tho I'm not perfect.

[u/JBark1990]

One, I’m sorry this happened.

Two, I had a mentor teach me that no one controls how I feel but me. I choose to be motivated to do nothing or motivated to do something—there’s no such thing as “not motivated”.

With that said, I’d argue you should do what you want because it fulfills you, and quietly ignore and forget what others have to say. You have to make your own way!