Bilingual Parenting Isn’t Just About Language
This is a Multicultural Mondays post! To join in, CLICK HERE for details and come back to this post to add your link! :)
So many times I’ve been asked, “Why is raising bilingual kids so important?” Since the language of study is Spanish in our home, it’s usually framed with a series of assumptions.
Comments like, “You’re daughter’s half American, you know. Don’t you want her to learn English?”
“Ok…” I reply, “…you know we’re teaching her both right? She’s going to be BI-lingual.”
So the strange thing is…teaching your child a second language in the U.S. can erupt into all kinds of debates about politics, patriotism and everything in between.
That’s why I believe that bilingual parenting is about more than just teaching your children a language. In addition to being intertwined with culture and specific daily events, language also has a context in the lives of bilingual children that makes being bilingual a very unique experience.
Bilingual learners realize that there are certain places or times when their second language may not be accepted. They realize that a language may be connected to certain expectations about who they are, how much money they make or where they were born.
On the other hand, they also become aware of all the benefits of bilingualism. It can connect them to their heritage, provide them with an edge ahead of the competition in both education and career, and even help them to relate to multiculturals and multilinguals from a variety of backgrounds much more easily than monolinguals might.
I think it scared my family a lot the first two years because they feared that Lily wouldn’t be able to communicate with them, but as time went on, they quickly realized that this wasn’t the case…that bilinguals can communicate in two languages.
The fact that there are so many who don’t understand that ‘bilingual’ means speaking two languages though, often makes me wonder…what exactly are Americans being taught about bilingualism and biculturalism?
If it’s anything like the mixed-race discussions happening around the country, the consensus seems to be that you can’t have both. Multiracials are often pressured to “pick one” or identify more one way than another. Sometimes individuals have a stronger pull one way than another, but what about those who truly do feel like they have a dual identity?
These are the types of discussions that parents of bilingual children navigate, which makes it a very unique experience for both the parents and children.
How about you? What are some things that make bilinguals and multilingualS unique? In what ways do you parent differently than those who don’t take on a second language?
© 2012, Chantilly Patiño. All rights reserved.
In today’s world, having a second language, being able to think differently, etc is becoming as important as having a college degree. I think if parents have th skill, it’s a travesty not to pass it on. Really wish I had that opportunity!
I couldn’t agree with you more Janice! It has been a rough journey for us for sure. I just finished reading some of the other posts in the link-up above and they are great! Definitely check them out! This discussion has inspired me to write more on the topic, so expect another post soon! ;)
I think the general assumption Americans make when they hear people speaking a language other than English is that if they could speak English, they would be. The fact that they aren’t means that they can’t. I never would have thought, of all the problems we would have raising our kids trilingually, people thinking they don’t speak English would be one of them! Trilingual guys, that means three languages and English is one of them! Ah, well. They’ll get it eventually I guess.
Haha…exactly! Yes, that’s what I mean…even when people hear the word “bilingual,” they think something more like “non-English” or “anti-English”…but that’s definitely not the case. ;) I think it comes from the politicians who make some pretty inaccurate claims about bilinguals/multilinguals. Either way, I think it’s great that so many more parents are talking about it and raising awareness! :) Thanks for stopping by and adding your thoughts!
I found your blog through All Done Monkey and I’m looking forward to reading more. Thank you for hosting these Multicultural Mondays link ups and for keeping them open. I wrote about the benefits and reasons for raising bilingual children in my post linked above about Dual Language Learning.
Thanks Elisa! I’m going to do my best to keep them open indefinitely, so feel free to add to them anytime. :) Thanks for stopping by! I’ll definitely be by your blog to read your post soon!
So interesting! It seems like no one has a neutral opinion about bilingualism – they are either thrilled you are doing it or alarmed. I agree with the above comment that many assume that if you could speak English, you would! But also what you said, Chantilly – bilingualism in the US is still a novelty, so people don’t really understand that it is possible. They just assume that one language will ultimately dominate.