Why Bilingualism?
Today’s topic is a pretty broad one… One you’ve likely heard before. Maybe you already have your own answer or answers to it locked and loaded. Maybe, if you’ve chosen to raise your children bilingually, you’ve heard this question from friends, teachers, relatives (in-laws anyone??). So maybe you’ve done your research so you can hold your ground when your the recipient of this question. If so, that’s awesome! Hopefully what we talk about today will just confirm all the things you already believe about bilingualism!
You know who else might ask you this question, why bilingualism? Your kids. Maybe not directly, but I’m sure the conversation will come up eventually. “Mommy why do the other kids only speak English?” “Mom why do you make me watch Sofia the first in Spanish, can’t you put it on in the other language? At Kimberly’s house we watch it in English.” “Dad why do you talk to me in your language, my other friends’ dads don’t do that.” “Dad why can’t we just talk normal?”
Maybe these scenarios sound familiar. Maybe you haven’t run into it quite this explicitly, and it’s more of a general push back you get from your kids. They don’t want to speak in the home language. You see them gravitating more and more to the language of their peers. The conversation of “why bilingualism” is a vital one to have with your kids, and it’s important to start that early one. So we’ll talk about that today as well.
Finally, you may need to remind yourself ‘why bilingualism’ when the going gets tough. So we’ll touch on that today too.
Some highlights from the episode
Commonly cited benefits:
(1) Cognitive benefits
(2) Social benefits
(3) Personal benefits
What to tell people when they ask, “why bilingualism:”
(1) What to tell outsiders
(2) What to tell the kids
(3) What to tell YOURSELF
If you’re intrigued and looking to hear more, listen to the episode! Then join our Bilingual Parenting Network and let us know what you think!
These are the show notes for Episode #001 of the Bilingual Parenting Podcast, “Why Bilingualism.” Subscribe to our podcast here or check out our homepage for the Podcast.