Re: bilingual parents raising bilingual children, I'm conflicted

I am not bilingual and am soooooo jealous of you all!! I think you are doing the right thing!

Re: bilingual parents raising bilingual children, I'm conflicted

Don't be conflicted, you're absolutely doing the right thing.

My DD is 13 months old and I speak mostly to her in Spanish, but it's just me. I know she isn't going to be bilingual because she's not getting enough exposure. I will continue to try though!

You're giving your child a great gift!

Re: bilingual parents raising bilingual children, I'm conflicted

my dh is bilingual and my dd is watched by my inlaws who speak spanish 90% of the time. My husband speaks mostly english but can talk to them or at least understand them all the time when they are speaking. My dd speaks only some words in spanish her favorite spanish word is agua. she doenst really say water at all. she says some other things too only a few but i cant expect an 18 month old to understand english all the time either. I think if you and your dh speak to him in mostly spainish he will grow up with the knowledge of both.

Re: bilingual parents raising bilingual children, I'm conflicted

I've been speaking to DD in Spanish since she was born. But when we are with others, and in most of her classes, English was spoken.

They catch onincredibly fast. She understands everything in Spanish yet prefers to speak English - the same was true (but opposite) for all my English-speaking friends living in Spain.

At the top of this website, there is a Spanish school. They have Mommy & Me, Dance, Nursery, and after-school programs. DD goes there and has since she was 3 months old. It is a great place to help your DC develop their Spanish...

Re: bilingual parents raising bilingual children, I'm conflicted

i think its wonderful, what you're doing. i didnt learn spanish until i was about ten, and i struggle with it now still. and a lot of my relatives speak only spanish, so its hard. but i know that if my parents had taught me at home, earlier, things would be different...easier.

Re: bilingual parents raising bilingual children, I'm conflicted

From what I have read on the subject, for bilingual children, from birth or a young age, one parent should speak in one language and the other in the other language solely to the child in order to help them learn quicker and more properly.
Supposedly, there is a delay seen in both languages this way until the age of 3 and then there was no detection of a delay afterwards (I forget where I read the study. It was in college). HTH

Re: bilingual parents raising bilingual children, I'm conflicted

Keep drilling spanish in to him. It is the best thing for him in the long run.

Re: bilingual parents raising bilingual children, I'm conflicted

My husband did not speak a word of English until he went to Kindergarten....best thing my in laws ever did for him...he is in the Corporate world and it has been such an asset to him. He learned in a few months once he went to school. He will be fine...do not do your kid a disservice by not teaching him the second language. It will be a terrific asset to him!!!

Re: bilingual parents raising bilingual children, I'm conflicted

I speak 4 languages and will make sure that DS will know at least 3. Right now I talk to him only in polish and every now and then we watch polish kids shows, DH speaks to him only in English. I know he will have Spanish at school, but I would love him to know one more European language, either German or Franch, just like mommy LOL.

Re: bilingual parents raising bilingual children, I'm conflicted

Honestly? I think you are doing the right thing!!!

I don't have kids, but I can tell you, it really is the best thing to learn another language. My father spoke to me in Spanish when I was young, I took it in school and continue to use it today. I think I can speak/write it pretty well!

When I was lost in Aruba, I used my spanish to find my way.

Re: bilingual parents raising bilingual children, I'm conflicted

I think you're definitely doing the right thing. My parents did the same with me and I only spoke and was spoken to in Spanish. I learned English once I started school and never had any issues.

DD is spoken to in 3 languages. My MIL (who watches her) and FIL speak to her in Italian, my mother speaks to her in Spanish and DH and I speak to her in English, Spanish and Italian. Poor kid .

Keep up the good work!

Re: bilingual parents raising bilingual children, I'm conflicted

I can give you the perspective from a parent of an older child - Alex is 5 - I only speak english but DH speaks hebrew and has spoken to her in hebrew since she was an infant. We enrolled her in a hebrew immersion class at her school when she was 3, where she has been ever since.

It was a rough start, I will admit - she had some delays in speaking, because she was confused - she was learning english, hebrew AND sign language! BUT, when the word explosion started, it never stopped, and she is way, way, way beyond her peers in vocabulary and language.

At this point, at 5, she is entirely fluent in both english and hebrew, and can still sign - in fact, she signs with Yael, who is 16 months. She understands EVERYTHING that DH or the teacher tells her in hebrew, and is just starting to respond in hebrew. She's also very proficient in english though. She's now learning to write her letters, both in english and hebrew, and doesn't have any difficulties learning both at the same time.

We are noticing some of the same delays in speech with Yael, probably, again, because she's a little confused. But I have no doubt she'll pick up speed, and then some, just like big sister. And in the end, the rewards of knowing more than one language at such an early age, particularly for brain development, is well worth it in my opinion

Re: bilingual parents raising bilingual children, I'm conflicted

Wow, I'm so glad to see that so many other people are doing what we're doing. I feel so much more at ease hearing people's experiences. I was feeling bad yesterday but you all have reminded me that he'll be just fine. This thread makes me so happy

Even DH was curious to see what you all would say, he just asked me to check now which is why i'm posting

Re: bilingual parents raising bilingual children, I'm conflicted

DD & I were born in Poland and all we speak is polish.
i'd rather my daughter know polish, and be delayed with english, then leard english and never know/or have a harder time learning polish.