tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28609701.post7657644822017119333..comments2024-03-28T06:25:09.412-06:00Comments on Bringing up Baby Bilingual: caca, communication, conundrumSarah @ Baby Bilingualhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13907207816628137938noreply@blogger.comBlogger17125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28609701.post-86299389267150532014-09-02T13:40:21.110-06:002014-09-02T13:40:21.110-06:00One thing that strikes me, both in what you wrote ...One thing that strikes me, both in what you wrote and in my own head, is how much we (parents raising kids in our non-native language) worry about the dreaded day when we will have to give up speaking to our kids in our hard-won second language--when we aren't even there yet! It sounds like you are still doing great at both saying and expressing what you need to in French, yet you're Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15081336319723627321noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28609701.post-60005888990671445742014-07-31T13:30:00.697-06:002014-07-31T13:30:00.697-06:00I'm a native English-speaker but speak Japanes...I'm a native English-speaker but speak Japanese with my two boys most of the time. It's getting harder and harder as they grow up to have elaborate or meaningful conversations with them, because I'm not fluent and just don't have the language in Japanese to express everything I want to say. Sometimes I choose not to say anything at all, and other times I decide to resort to kellysenseihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01519451347986536465noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28609701.post-36630526416092273732014-07-18T14:49:58.674-06:002014-07-18T14:49:58.674-06:00As with my other post from last night, this is hit...As with my other post from last night, this is hitting home for me. It's a struggle to sacrifice yourself as a spontaneous, carefree mom and give your child the gift of another language. I feel that I've done as much as I can with my 4-year-old, but feel that stopping would only hurt her, as well as hurt my 8-month-old who hasn't gotten the foundation Mayah has. I find myself getting kazi.ayenihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15588958899845169006noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28609701.post-27274876925290021982014-07-17T11:59:31.808-06:002014-07-17T11:59:31.808-06:00(And please accept my apologies for taking nearly ...(And please accept my apologies for taking nearly a month to reply to these comments...it's a challenging and emotional issue for me.)Sarah @ Baby Bilingualhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13907207816628137938noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28609701.post-51164295883228948072014-07-17T11:58:48.165-06:002014-07-17T11:58:48.165-06:00It sounds like the onus really is on me to improve...It sounds like the onus really is on me to improve my French, to really push myself to become equally articulate in both languages!<br /><br />Who will break the news to my husband that we have to spend lots more time in Francophone countries? :)Sarah @ Baby Bilingualhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13907207816628137938noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28609701.post-21403171326408121032014-07-17T11:57:58.698-06:002014-07-17T11:57:58.698-06:00Welcome, Jane! I can empathize with your "cr...Welcome, Jane! I can empathize with your "crisis of confidence." Here's the decision I came to a few years ago when I admitted to myself that I just am not as fluent in French as I'd like:<br /><br />I would rather have my bilingual children speak one of their languages imperfectly than have them be monolingual. The ability to communicate is what matters, not whether or not Sarah @ Baby Bilingualhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13907207816628137938noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28609701.post-46518741168516825912014-07-17T11:53:22.524-06:002014-07-17T11:53:22.524-06:00Salut Michele!
It's extremely interesting t...Salut Michele! <br /><br />It's extremely interesting that you use the same verb as Lucie (a previous commenter): invest. She speaks of the efforts I have invested in raising my kids bilingually, whereas you refer to your own emotional investment as a mom. It's both, isn't it?!<br /><br />"Significantly restrained"? No, not yet. I have figured out a sneaky work-around Sarah @ Baby Bilingualhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13907207816628137938noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28609701.post-10946999813652066662014-07-17T11:48:01.991-06:002014-07-17T11:48:01.991-06:00Thank you, Nicole! The fact that I stay home with...Thank you, Nicole! The fact that I stay home with my kids most of the time (and we spend most of that time playing and reading together and going on outings) shows that they have my heart, and I agree that this matters more than the finesse with which I speak French. (At least for now.) <br /><br />Sarah @ Baby Bilingualhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13907207816628137938noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28609701.post-31196470608760063642014-07-17T11:44:11.869-06:002014-07-17T11:44:11.869-06:00Bonjour Anonymous! Thanks for your comments. I w...Bonjour Anonymous! Thanks for your comments. I would love to hear more about your adventures as an anglophone parent homeschooling your kids in France!<br /><br />You and Lucie (above) have both suggested finding times and places to keep the family in French rather than requiring myself to speak it exclusively. Perhaps my husband and I will institute some English-only dinners, or maybe do Sarah @ Baby Bilingualhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13907207816628137938noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28609701.post-90456541182824615512014-07-17T11:40:20.543-06:002014-07-17T11:40:20.543-06:00Thanks for your comments, Lucie. I like how you u...Thanks for your comments, Lucie. I like how you use the phrase "invested years in raising a bilingual baby" -- because that really fits. Doing this is indeed an investment, one that should pay off with interest in the future.<br /><br />Similarly, I do feel that if I withdraw my investment before it reaches maturity, I won't have taken full advantage of the interest that will Sarah @ Baby Bilingualhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13907207816628137938noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28609701.post-32093176854925999782014-07-11T08:06:58.234-06:002014-07-11T08:06:58.234-06:00I'm so happy to have found your blog and comme...I'm so happy to have found your blog and comments. I'm bringing up my daughter bilingual (well, I'm trying to...I'm English and I'm speaking French to her). She's 16 months old so I'm not where you are yet, but I'm currently having a crisis of confidence about my decision. I worry about what will happen when I want to have deeper conversations with her, and my Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08231939493331997812noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28609701.post-91999185151905205512014-07-10T00:30:18.167-06:002014-07-10T00:30:18.167-06:00Salut Sarah! As a non-native French speaker, I tho...Salut Sarah! As a non-native French speaker, I thought I would reach a point when I would have to permanently switch to English with my children, but as they've grown, I've become more emotionally invested in my decision to always speak to them in French. My children are younger than Griffin, but I respect how much effort you've made to continue speaking French with him. Do you feel Michele Cheriehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07157004988298065044noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28609701.post-88836727596821926462014-07-06T14:15:28.857-06:002014-07-06T14:15:28.857-06:00It is so hard to make that kind of decision. I ha...It is so hard to make that kind of decision. I have the privilege of being able to speak my native language to my boys and France takes care of the French stuff but I absolutely understand your dilemma. As a linguist I believe that so much is conveyed through the words we use. But as a mother and just a person I believe that the emotion and intent and "vibration" behind the language Nicolehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13306228378745291912noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28609701.post-34028955035544735342014-06-28T01:07:38.539-06:002014-06-28T01:07:38.539-06:00I think what commenter Lucie has written above mak...I think what commenter Lucie has written above makes a lot of sense. Missing out on whole aspects of YOU is a lot more serious than missing out on some French. You have given your kids a level of fluency that they can now build on out in the greater world if they choose to. If it is important to them, and I'm sure you've succeeded in making it feel important, they will speak French Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28609701.post-81647920424090911642014-06-21T12:33:45.446-06:002014-06-21T12:33:45.446-06:00*can only say my opinion*can only say my opinionLuciehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03059741122439069130noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28609701.post-86557901904939230102014-06-21T12:32:26.551-06:002014-06-21T12:32:26.551-06:00I just found your blog a few months ago. My husban...I just found your blog a few months ago. My husband and I don't have kids yet, but when we decide to start a family are very seriously considering teaching our children French via OPOL...so I can only throw in my two cents as an observer for now. English is our first language and I understand that there will come a time when I will need to stop speaking French and speak to my child in my Luciehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03059741122439069130noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28609701.post-56893391683040819922014-06-19T15:27:29.033-06:002014-06-19T15:27:29.033-06:00This is a really tough choice. I feel for you. I h...This is a really tough choice. I feel for you. I have no advice as I am not in this situation but i would love to hear what others have done.The Piri-Piri Lexiconhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07211814852783699044noreply@blogger.com