I'll never get tired of saying it: raising bilingual kids is difficult, but it's totally worth it. In the years since I started writing about my own experiences raising my children to speak both English and Spanish, I've met a ton of parents on the same journey.
After countless conversations, I've come to the conclusion that we all face similar obstacles as we attempt to teach our children our native language or, in some amazing cases, a language that is not really our own, but one that we've learned to love.
Here are the three most common obstacles and ideas on how to overcome them.
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You're kids are not exposed to enough Spanish. This could be because you're the only one who speaks Spanish at home, you're Spanish-speaking family is far away or you simply don't know how to get your kids exposed to more Spanish regularly. Playgroups are a great way to change this. But you can also expose your kids to more Spanish through music, movies, apps and books.
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You don't think your Spanish is good enough. I know a ton of moms who feel this way. Maybe Spanish was their first language growing up, but English quickly took over. Or, maybe they were never really taught Spanish, and they only learn it as adults. First of all, you need to give yourself some credit. Then, see this as an opportunity to improve your own skills. It's okay not to know the words for all the animals in the zoo in Spanish. Luckily, we have the internet!
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You have a hard time sticking to speaking Spanish all the time. This can be a real obstacle, but one that can easily be changed. The most important thing is for you to be honest with yourself and decide how truly important it is for you that your kids grow up bilingual. Once you decide on this, make the commitment to stick to Spanish and be consistent. The end results will be totally worth it!
