Mother tongue

Since returning to Spain not too long ago I have been thinking a lot about when Jose and I eventually have children and how they will become English proficient while living in Spain since this is where we will be for the foreseeable future. Part of this curiosity must be seeing my beautiful niece who is at 6 months old in the babbling stage of development which is one of the cutest things EVER. I wish I could be there to see her develop eventually into single words and then short sentences. (I imagine a lot will have to do with their dog Domingo and the word NO!). Since I have just started working at an all-girls elementary school where I will be teaching English conversation and science I am also seeing how difficult it can be if you wait to start children with a second language until they reach school age. Some of the other women who work there are Americans and both admit that their children are fluent in Spanish but are lacking in their English skills. When I mentioned that I wanted my future kids to be completely bilingual they were skeptical. How can I make sure that my children can speak, read, write etc. in English when it is the minority language where they are living? For me this is very important. I have given up my home, my culture, my friends, my family, and I refuse to give up my language which is so key to my identity as an American. This is something imperative for me to pass on besides it being a great skill for their futures. I want them to feel comfortable with their American family. I want them to know where they come from and who they are. Shouldn't it be much easier since English should be their mother tongue (the one that comes from me)?

To answer some of these questions, I started reading The Bilingual Edge by Kendall King and Alison Mackey. It is a book that gives a lot of good information about how to raise bilingual children. It debunks a lot of myths. For example, some people believe raising a child in a bilingual environment might slow their development. Not true. Is there a critical period after which a person is no longer able to learn a new language? Thankfully for my Dad who is trying to learn Spanish, no there is no time that is too late. How best to help your children become bilingual? Give them a lot of meaningful interaction in both languages. That means that when we have children I plan on only speaking English with them. I will encourage them to do so with Jose as well. I will search out other English-speakers who have children for playdates. We will read in English and watch movies too. Spanish will come naturally from him and his family, neighbors, friends, school etc. Actually these future kids are going to be lucky when I think about how much it took for me to become Spanish proficient as an English-speaker, how many hours of studying, time abroad, books, conversations, money and time spent.

Now we just need to figure out how to introduce a third language. Chinese maybe? German? The possibilities are endless.