I'm so fed up/frustrated. All the baby/parent/ing etc magazines I get, none, have in the two plus years, have had an article about bilingual kids, I mean not bilingual in Engl. and Spanish, but in a really minority language in the world, not spoken at all in this country (except for maybe some thousands total in the USA--my native tongue is Estonian). I know there are others out there. I read the Estonian magazines which I bought in Estonia when I have visited, but those are obviously writing articles re: Estonians raising kids in Estonian. I could do research online but I hate being on the computer, esp since my 2 year old will get in between and if she's a sleep I got chores to do or watch my favorite shows on DVR (Desperate Housewives and Heroes--interesting combination hmm! :)
Plus I work 3 days a week. I know that bi/multilingual kids will start talking a little later. Although mine is talking in both languages, which sometimes gets the in-laws mad(?I have a feeling, I was told sth like she is an American she has to speak only English) b/c she says certain things in Estonian and others in English. I can't even understand somtimes what she's saying b/c not sure what she learned in Engl. when staying over at granmdas house. It's frustrating. I am very adamant about her knowing her mothers native tongue, esp since there are only about 1.5-2 million Estonians in the world. ps. All my family is back in Estonia, but I have few Estonian friends here who have kids also but it's hard to get together.
Any one have any suggestions?
Thank you for the responses esp the website addresses. On Mother's Day morning she actually told me in Estonian to get her blankie (tekk), but to her Engl. speaking young uncle she told in English to get the blankie when he was in the back seat with her. So I know she understands a lot, but doesn't always speak Estonian. I do try to talk to her only in Estonian, although with some things I know she has learned from grandparents, I will translate so she knows what it is in both. I do have bunch of Estonian books, like we have here with pictures etc. One book I got in Estonia, is actually in Estonian and Englilsh, a story about Bella's Smile.... her name is Izabella and we call her Bella at times also. So cute. Thanks again. I will try to let you know couple years from now how its going. :)
My childhood girlfriend grew up fluent in Albanian, Greek and English. Speaking Albanian and Greek is such a precious bond that she has with her family to this day! It is what makes your family unique...you go girl!
M.
Stick with it! My daughter is half Hispanic and speaks both English and Spanish. Her biological "father" is Hispanic and even though he is not involved at all in her life, I want her to know both sides of her heritage. Her Dad (my fiance) isn't Hispanic but he's fluent so he speaks to her mostly in Spanish. There are a few websites if you do get time to look at them:
http://www.languagelizard.com/v/vspfiles/default.htm
http://multilingualbooks.com/index.html
This is a book I found on teaching two languages.
http://www.foreignlanguagebookshop.com.au/product-detail-...
Anyway, good luck!
Hi M.,
I don't have any advice other than to stick with it. I wish I knew a second language to teach my children. The more your daughter hears your language the more she will learn and the older she gets the more you will understand. If you don't already you might try only speaking to her in Ertonian and having her answer you in the same way.
I wish you all the luck as I'm sure this is not easy!
Very best wishes!
We are bilingual in Spanish and English. But I think it is fantastic that you are teaching your child a different language, no matter what that language is. You will get people that will tell you the child only needs to know one language but you know what you would like for your child. Regardless of the 2nd language, I have found through research that having one person speak only that language helps the child learn. Since your daughter is only 2, it will be hard to understand. It will be hard for others as she throws both languages together. But as she gets older, she will figure it out and you will find her speaking just the one language at a time. My husband and I speak both Spanish and English to my youngest, and trying to teach the older ones. The baby sitter only speaks Spanish in my house. Be patient, take a deep breath, and move on when others tell you not to bother. Think how cool your daughter will feel when she is the only person in her class that knows this second language and can teach a few words to her classmates. She could also teach your inlaws a couple of words. They could be feeling left out a little, though some people just want English and nothing else.
