Comments on: Relaxing the Rules

By: Ana Lilian

Ana Lilian — Tue, 27 Jul 2010 06:20:06 +0000

Please keep us up-to-date with your new family. I’m sure you’ll have plenty of stories to share and we love stories.

By: Ana Lilian

Ana Lilian — Tue, 27 Jul 2010 06:18:22 +0000

Your website and your LIFE is absolutely fascinating. What a dream, which I’m sure has many challenges that come with it, but an amazing experience your children will cherish forever.

We would love to hear more about how your children are acquiring languages and adapting to all the different cultures.
We will definitely be visiting your blog frequently.
Thanks for stopping by!

By: Ana Lilian

Ana Lilian — Tue, 27 Jul 2010 06:15:48 +0000

This is a great story. It’s amazing how these little details can shake us up and make us rethink our process and “rules.”

I enjoyed what you wrote about your trip to Costa Rica because I’m getting ready to travel with my daughter to El Salvador and spend a whole month there. I know I will have to let go of everything while there. It’s inevitable.

By: Kristin Bonilla

Kristin Bonilla — Sat, 24 Jul 2010 17:21:32 +0000

I loved this post! My husband and I speak Spanish in our home …He is Honduran (native Spanish) and I am American (native English)…we will be adopting 3 children by the end of the year from Honduras(our niece and nephews—twins age 9 and a 7 year old). I am grateful that they are now fluent in Spanish; however, I have learned so much from this website about the struggles and patience required to blend a family to be fully bilingual. I know the difficulties my husband and I have had over the years…I was 30 when we met and I knew NO Spanish. We chose to communicate in Spanish, though, because my husband was having such a hard time learning to speak English. 10 years later… my expressive Spanish is better than my receptive and his receptive English is significantly better than his expressive. It is definitely a PROCESS…. I look forward to continuing to learn from such incredible role models! Thank you for sharing your insights!!!

By: AnaGloria Rodriguez

AnaGloria Rodriguez — Fri, 23 Jul 2010 06:10:14 +0000

Interesting. I never thought about this, but sometimes my kiddos ask me to watch their videos in English when usually we watch them in Spanish. I don’t make a big deal out of it, I just say ok. Last time it was when my husband was around and I asked,(in Spanish because that is what I only speak to them) “Is it because you want Papi to understand too?” Of course they said “si’.
I never want to make speaking one language or the other a power struggle. Flexibility and gentle reminders have worked for me so far….

By: mom2miahaudrey

mom2miahaudrey — Thu, 22 Jul 2010 14:06:08 +0000

I have found that when I am more flexible, the kids speak spanish more (and happy to do it), when I say “you have to” speak spanish, my son is always a little more hesitant (as if it’s a chore).

Costa Rica….Que Rico!

By: soultravelers3

soultravelers3 — Thu, 22 Jul 2010 13:05:16 +0000

Oh yeah, I hear you! Flexibility is always the key. Bringing kids up bilingual or trilingual is work that goes on for MANY years and is harder when in an environment where another language is dominant. MANY bilingual native speaking families don’t make it. My child will soon be 10 and the work doesn’t stop ( much like her piano & violin, they are long term commitments for the parents). We love summer so much, that we went for the endless summer routine as much as possible.

Luckily, since we live a global travel lifestyle, we thrive on flexibility year round. Even the local school in Spain that we attend is only from 9 to 2 and we’ve just done it the last 4 winters between late November and usually April or May. Unlike American schools, we take off when ever we want & can use it just for the language immersion & we continue to homeschool year round in English ( and Chinese).

We’re monolingual raising a very fluent trilingual from birth, so have to be flexible. Always the language that is not the dominant one in a culture, is the hardest one to keep up. Today our child is practicing her Mandarin online while we are in the South of France, but when she starts her Mandarin school in Asia this fall, we will have to work harder on our Spanish.

Thanks to Skype though ( she can talk to her friends in Spain) and today’s technology, it’s easier today more than ever.

Good luck to you and all the parents that struggle with these challenges.