It's tough admitting you've made a parenting mistake, but the earlier you accept it, the better off everyone will be–especially when it comes to raising bilingual children. I've learned a lot from my own mistakes as I've attempted to raise my two kids bilingual the past eight years. But I've also learned a lot from all the parents I've been in touch with thanks to SpanglishBaby.com.
Allow me to share the most common mistakes and how to fix them:
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1. You think it's too late. I've hear this one countless time and I'll never get tired of saying it: It's NEVER too late! You can learn a language at whatever age, it's just much easier if you start early on.
2. You mix languages. You've promised yourself you'll be the Spanish speaker at home, but you often find yourself going back and forth between languages when speaking to your kids because it's easier or more convenient. We're all guilty of this one and it's easy to see why: we live in the United States where we're pretty much surrounded by English day in and day out. The only way to fix this mistake is to stop doing it. Easier said than done, I know, but try to be more aware and nip it in the bud!
3. You listen to naysayers and uniformed family members/friends. When you're a parent, it's hard not to doubt the decisions you make on a daily basis. I mean, what if you make the wrong decision and you ruin your child's life forever? I'm here to tell you two things. First, raising bilingual children will never harm your kids. Second, you don't have to take my word for it, just do your own research and be prepared to answer all those naysayers when they come around trying to tell you that speaking to your child in Spanish will be detrimental to their development.
4. Your kids have no access to books or music in Spanish. I can see how this was possible back in the day, but things have changed so much in terms of options out there, that there's no reason not to have at least a few books and some music in Spanish for your kids to enjoy. We have tons of suggestions for both right here on ¿Qué más?
5. You don't make it fun. Your kids are rebelling against speaking Spanish because they see it as a chore. You want to make sure they grow up bilingual, so you're pretty much a seargent about it without realizing this is simply a bad way of going about it. Switch things up, put some Spanish music on and star dancing with your kids. Read to them in Spanish. Take them to fun Latino events in your town where they'll be exposed to both the culture and the language. Incorporate Spanish into your everyday lives so it doesn't become an obligation.
6. You're not consistent. You swore you'd speak to your child in Spanish from the day he was born, but life got complicated and you've pretty much gone back and forth and now they refuse to speak to you in Spanish. Don't despair, just make a conscious decision to be committed to this goal and stick to it as much as possible. But remember to be flexible because life happens!
7. You think it'll happen by osmosis. I've heard some people say that to raise bilingual children all you have to do is speak to them in Spanish. While I agree that you must speak to them in Spanish all the time, it's definitely not the only thing you should be doing. They need a lot more exposure to the language than just hearing mom talk to them. Use books, movies, apps, music and, if you can, join a Spanish playgroup.
8. You've given up. Nothing breaks my heart more than hearing a mom say she tried it, but gave up when she didn't see the results fast enough or when she thought her kids didn't really care or whatever other reason. My only recommendation is to stick to it because one day you'll finally see the results and your kids will thank you for the rest of their lives!
